Revanche
by Wsarne
Summary: Eva doesn't remember, but the Jedi tell her she did horrible things. She doesn't remember starting a war. She doesn't remember dying. But she did, and now the fate of the Republic is trapped somewhere in her lost memories... Eva doesn't remember, but the galaxy won't let her forget.
1. One

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away…

—

 _Darth Reven stood on the bridge of her ship, the lifeless bodies of republic soldiers at her feet. The Republic had been foolish enough to think that they could attack her here, surrounded by her fleet. They would soon learn their mistake. The Jedi were coming. She could feel them, running towards her, just on the other side of that door._

 _"Let them come." She thought. They were no match. No one was a match for her, not now. Not with the power of the Star Forge at her command. Soon the Republic would kneel, and then Revan could get back to what was important—leading the galaxy to victory once and for all._

 _So unbothered was she by the approaching Jedi, she turned her back on the door and watched the battle outside. Since Malak had corrupted some of the Republic's best men, there was little the Republic's fleet could do against them. Suddenly she felt a familiar presence._

 _"Hello, Bastila." She said, turning to face the three Jedi crouched and ready to spring at her. In the center was the girl, Bastila. Once upon a time she might have become her apprentice. Now she would be just another sacrificed pawn the Jedi sent after her._

 _"You cannot win, Revan!" Although the younger woman could not see the face of the dark lord hidden by the cloak and mask she had become known by, the voice was one Bastila would never forget. It sent a shiver down her spine but she held her ground against the women she had once looked up to._

 _"I have to win." Revan countered, red lightsaber ignited. "The galaxy is doomed otherwise — none will be left alive."_

 _Bastila also ignited her lightsaber, but it did not matter. The ship began to shake._

 _Revan turned around in rage, "Malak! You betrayer!"_

 _She had known this moment was coming, but Malak owed her a better death than this. If force ghosts were real she would haunt him until he begged for death—_

 _The bridge exploded around them as the ship was fired upon by Malak's warship and Revan was crushed beneath the weight of fallen debris._

 _—_

 **Coruscant - 1 year ago**

Admiral Dodonna stood before the makeshift Council in an empty hospital room. Masters Vandar, Vrook and Zhar were present, while others stood guard over the body several rooms away, trying to preserve the life that would lead them to an end to this war. The famed padawan, Bastila Shan, sat by the window looking tired. Dodonna imagined it hadn't been easy for the padawan. She didn't know much about force bonds, but she had a hunch being bonded to _her_ would not be easy for the child.

"Are we certain her force powers have left her?" The admiral asked, turning her gaze back to the Jedi. It was Master Zhar who responded.

"We sensed nothing from her, the accident appears to have stripped her of her abilities. We must wait and see if it has stripped her of anything else."

"A Sith lord with her knowledge and no force powers could be very useful to us, of course we'll need to keep her identity a secret."

"Of course," Zhar nodded. "As far as the galaxy is concerned, Revana Nabarrie is dead."

"I want to be kept updated on this project. If there is any relapse, or resistance I want her euthanized."

"The Jedi do not kill their prisoners, Admiral."

"That may be, Master Vandar, but I'm no Jedi. If this project fails I'll kill her myself." The Admiral shifted her stance before continuing, "Now, lets discuss the specifics of her rehabilitation and the details of this mission—"

"Excuse me, Master Jedi? Admiral Dodonna…As you know, the patient has fully awoken, but something unexpected had occurred." A nurse entered the room, sheepishly.

"Unexpected?" Master Vrook glared.

"Yes, it seems…well it appears she-"

"Get on with it, please." The admiral commanded.

The nurse took a deep breath before looking up into he eyes of the older woman.

 _"She doesn't remember."_

 _—_

 **Present Day - Endar Spire**

Captain Carth Onasi stood on the bridge awaiting final orders from Admiral Dodonna. The rest of the fleet had already taken off to confront the Sith in the Ojostor sector, but for some reason the Endar Spire had been ordered to remain docked.

Carth soon learned the reason why when a temples worth of Jedi boarded his ship like they owned it.

"What going on here?" He demanded as one of the youngest looking Jedi approached him and handed him a datapad.

"Orders from Admiral Dodonna and the Jedi Council. This ship is being commandeered to escort VIPs on a diplomatic mission for the Council—"

"Diplomatic mission?" Carth parroted. "Wait, _Commandeered_!?"

"Thank you for your cooperation, Captain Onasi." The young Jedi continued as though she had not been interrupted. "My name is Bastila Shan, I will be taking command now."

Carth couldn't believe his ears. This girl, this _child_ , was the famed Jedi Bastila Shan? And she was taking command of _his_ ship? His eyes narrowed. What were the Jedi thinking?

"I assume you're the VIP?" Carth quickly regained his composure. "I've heard about your battle meditation powers. It's an honor to have you aboard."

"Thank you, Captain. I am honored to be in the presence of one so highly praised by Admiral Dodonna—"

"Yes, we're all very honored" A playful voice said. Behind Bastila was an older woman, closer to his age, with a bored expression, flanked by several large Jedi Knights. He had assumed at first that the Knights were there to escort Bastila, but now looking at the striking woman before him he wasn't sure. Was she also a VIP? Or judging by the way some of the knights glared at her, a prisoner?

"Sorry, are you Bastila's Jedi Master?" He asked, and was instantly met with a look of fury from the Padwam, and amusement from the woman behind her.

" _That_ was the _wrong_ thing to say, Captain."The woman chuckled.

"Don't mind her." Bastila said, pushing herself in front of the woman. "She's nobody, not even a Jedi. She's merely here for consultation reasons."

"Aw, that's not very nice." The woman pouted, but was still smiling with her eyes. "Here I thought we were growing close."

She stepped past Bastila, past the Jedi Knights who all tensed when she started moving, and stood right infront of the Captain.

They both took a moment to examine each other, Carth thought she was stunning, but didn't like the way she was seizing him up. What was she trying to accomplish—?

"Aha!" She suddenly exclaimed. "I knew you look familiar. You're the guy from all the recruitment posters."

Carth suddenly couldn't control the color of his face. He had forgotten about that stupid promotional thing Dodonna had talked him into.

"Those weren't my idea—" He managed to sputter.

"Relax, Captain." The woman laughed. It was musical, and the crinkles around her eyes reminded him of happier times. "They're _good_ posters—made me feel like joining right up.

She winked, before turning back to Bastila, who was glaring at her.

"Do me a favor, _padawan_ , and call off your Kath hounds?" She looked back at Carth. "Having a entourage is a little tacky, don't you think, Captain?"

Bastila rolled her eyes, "I suppose it's fine now that we're on the ship." She waved a hand and the Jedi Knights stood at ease.

"Who are you again?" Carth's face was still warm as the woman brushed past him. She gave him a funny look over her shoulder.

"Weren't you listening, Captain? I'm nobody." She winked again, before walking off and leaving a starstruck captain and a slightly exasperated padawan.

"Please have the ship set a course for Taris." Bastila said, bringing Carth attention back to her. "I'd like to take off at the earliest convenience."

"Taris? B-but that's behind enemy lines. Why aren't we joining the fleet?"

"This mission is more important. Everything you need to know is on that datafile."

—

" _Everything you need to know my ass_." Carth grumbled as he went over the documents the Jedi Order had sent. The Jedi were making all sorts of demands and offering very little explanations, which was bad enough, but what really annoyed him was that out of all the ships in the Republic fleet about to head out to meet the Sith invasion, the Jedi had chose his.

"Just my luck," the pilot thought as he continued reading files.

When he had first gotten the assignment, Carth had been thrilled. Meeting the Sith invasion head on would put him in the perfect position for finding and confronting Saul. All he would have had to do was find the Leviathan and make sure he was on the right strike team…

But now that was all ruined. Now he was stuck escorting a bunch of Jedi on a pointless diplomatic mission to some backwards planet that was already being occupied by the Sith.

He skimmed through all the profiles but only two were worth paying attention to. The first was, of course, Bastilla Shan. The young Jedi padawan was famous for her war efforts, which included a rare force power that had helped the republic win multiple battles— and for her involvement in the strike team that took down Darth Revan one year ago. Carth wondered why the Jedi were wasting her talents on diplomatic missions, especially as she had been AWOL since that mission, but he supposed they had their reasons.

He still couldn't believe a nineteen year old Jedi Padwan was now his superior officer, so that ought to be fun.

The second profile was _Hers_ —and it both intrigued and perturbed him. Her skill set was overflowing: computer and repair, demolitions, stealth and reconnaissance, but also diplomacy, cultural intelligence, strategic and weapons training. She was a technician who understood a plethora of languages, her skills list went on and on and yet…

Carth frowned harder, if that was possible. _Where was her personal information?_

Family History— **none** ; planet-of-origion— **missing** ; full name— _ **redacted!?**_

There was only a short service record, an incomplete medical history, and an alias: _**Evana**_.

He sighed, tossing the datapad down in front of him as he leaned back in his chair. If there was one thing Carth didn't like, it was the unknown, and this Evana was the very definition. He would be keeping a very close eye on her.

—

 **Endar Spire - Orbiting Taris**

Carth could feel the hull shake with each distant explosion. Each one was a frantic reminder that he was loosing his ship. The Endar Spire had flown right into a trap. A portion of the Sith fleet had been waiting to ambush them upon arrival at Taris. Somehow the information that Bastilla was with them had leaked. Carth face was hard as he barked out orders to the crew on the bridge. The security systems were already reporting breaches in the hull and Sith strike teams were starting to board.

" _This is Carth Onasi_ ," He announced over telecommuter " _The Sith are threatening to overrun our position. All hands to the bridge!_ "

"Sir, life support systems are showing we've already lost the majority of the crew to Sith strike teams and the Endar Spire is taking heavy damage. We won't be able to hold out very much longer."

"Damn it! Where's Bastilla?"

"Already safely escorted to the escape pods, Sir."

"Alright, have the remaining crew evacuate."

"Yes, Sir!"

Carth stayed behind on the bridge for a few more moments, wiping hard drives and directing the few stragglers. When he found himself completely alone on the bridge he knew it was time to head for the escape pods himself.

There was only one functional escape pod left, it was all his…but just to be sure he logged into the nearby terminal to scan the life support systems one last time. To his surprise, a single green dot appeared in a computer room right past the bridge. He reached for his comm, but whoever this mystery crew member was, they didn't seem to have a portable communicator. Luckily this person was near their own terminal and that meant he could tap into the ship's communication systems.

He seemed to have caught her mid-slice, because the holographic face that met his— _Her_ face, of all faces— seemed to jump back in surprise.

"Hey. This is Carth Onasi."

"Hello again, Captain." She purred.

"I'm tracking your position through the Endar Spire's life support systems. You and I are the last surviving crew members on board. Can you make it to the escape pods?"

"Oh, fuck." He heard her mutter. "I'm on my way, but I keep running into more Sith than I can count…did you say life support system?"

Before he could answer, the woman— _Evana_ — made some quick adjustments and suddenly the map on Carth's screen filled with little red dots.

"What did you just do?"

"I hacked the life support system, now we can see where the Sith are."

"You hacked- never mind. It looks like there's a whole squad of Sith Troopers on the other side of that door… You need to find some way to thin their numbers-"

"Got it," Evana messed with a few more controls and then the red dots in the next room disappeared.

"What happened?"

"I overloaded the terminal in the next room. Should be a pretty clear path now, see you soon."

She left before he could say anything else, but she burst through the doors only a few moments later, panting in relief when she recognized him.

"Let's go."

They didn't bother with any more formalities, and soon the last escape pod was crashing it's way down to the planet below.

—

 _"Reva..." an large hand caressed her face, turning her head to look into the eyes of a man she no longer knew. "You're going to be the death of me."_

 _"I was always going to be the death of you, Alek."_

 _The man frowned. "That's not my name anymore. You shouldn't call me that-"_

 _"I'll call you whatever I want, apprentice."_

 _"Apprentice." He sneered. "Just because the Emperor said you would lead doesn't mean I'm just some mindless follower. That title comes with a promise."_

 _"Yes, I know Malak. Someday you must kill me, or I will kill you."_

 _"Why doesn't that bother you?"_

 _"Because I don't think you have it in you. You're too devoted."_

 _"For now, but who knows how we'll be twisted by the Forge. If I didn't love you..I could do it."_

 _"Well then..." Darth Revan brought the face of her apprentice close to hers and gave it a harsh kiss before pushing him back under her. "Make it a good death, my love."_

 _—_

The escape pod's crash landing had not been one of his finer moments; but that wasn't exactly Carth's fault. Something had malfunctioned, and they had been lucky he had managed to crash the pod with no casualties. Almost no casualties, anyway. The woman — _Evana_ — had hit her head, and he imagined they would both be sore for a while from the force of the impact.

They were also lucky it was the middle of the night on Taris. He had been able to drag the Evana's body out of the wreckage and carry her to safety under the cover of darkness before anyone came to investigate.

"Looks like we're still alive, Beautiful." He murmured to his unconscious companion. "Now let's see if we can keep it that way."

The clank of armored footsteps began echoing through the streets, so Carth ducked inside the nearest building which appeared to be a rundown apartment complex. The place looked like it had been recently ransacked and then abandoned. He was worried they were too close to the wreckage, but it would have to do for now.

He set Evana on the bed in the apartment room he deemed the most strategically safe and then worked on getting the mechanical sliding door to close manually, locking them inside. He was relieved that the electricity controlling the lights still worked, even if the door didn't.

He frowned, realizing they would have to burn everything with a Republic ensign on it. He started tearing at the patches on his burnt orange jacket. He found civilian cloths that would fit him under the upturned dresser and felt pretty satisfied with his new disguise until he looked back at the unconscious women on the bed. She was wearing the same bright red and yellow uniform he had been, and there was nothing that would fit her in there. Still, they couldn't be caught in republic uniforms so he carefully undressed her, adding her cloths to the pile of things he was going to burn and then a covered her with the only blanket he could find.

"Hey, do me a favor and don't wake up and hate me. I'm just trying to keep us alive, alright?" He said, talking to the sleeping woman. For a moment he thought she might actually wake up, but her tossing and turning only resulted in the low whimpering of a name.

" _Alek_ …"

Carth decided he would go out and try to find her something in the morning, and hopefully she wouldn't kill him in the mean time— a fellow solider would understand the necessity, but he still wasn't sure if she counted. He wasn't sure about anything.


	2. Two

—

 **Coruscant – 12 months ago**

Master Vandar r sat beside his old padawan. She was a shell of the woman she had once been, that was clear without the armored robes. The grey and purple skin made her look sickly and he mourned for the person she had been before.

"Don't waste you grief on her, Vandar." Master Vrook glared. He himself had no interest in the foolish plan his fellow masters and that Admiral had concocted. He was sure there was no redemption for the dark lord, and he was just waiting for her to wake up and prove it for him so they could kill her and be done with it.

"You hide your own grief behind anger, my friend." Master Vandar replied, his clawed hand brushing the hair out of the patient's face. "We may yet be surprised."

"I don't want anymore surprises from this one." Vrook said, glaring at the body chained to the hospital bed.

As if to spite him, the machinery attached to their prisoner began to beep rapidly, alerting a nearby nurse.

"What's happening?" Vrook asked, as the nurse went about checking the machines.

"She's waking up, Master Jedi." The nurse replied, "Shall I alert the other members of the Council?"

"No." Vandar said, jumping down. "We will observe from a distance."

The two Jedi Maters left the room just as the woman chained to the bed opened her eyes for the first time.

They watched as she took in her surroundings watching for any signs of the dark lord. Instead she seemed rather content to flirt with the nurse.

"Are we having a party?" She asked the nurse, nodding her head to the window where the planet-wide celebrations could be heard.

"Oh yes, The Jedi defeated Darth Revan." The nurse gushed. Even with her skin corrupted by the power of the dark side Revan was always a charmer.

She smiled brightly making the nurse blush, "I have no idea who that is, but congratulations."

—

"It's a Sith trick!" Master Vrook exclaimed in the adjoining room.

"Perhaps not." Master Zhar replied. "I sense she is genuine."

"You know as well as I how well Revan manipulates the emotions of those around her."

"Her memories could have been lost when the debris fell on her." Bastila spoke up. "Her head was badly damaged. Perhaps that's why I can no longer sense the Force in her, she has no memories of it."

"An interesting development, this is." Master Vandar mused. "But now a question we must answer: what truths do we tell her?"

"First, let confirm she really has lost her memories." The admiral said, opening the door into Darth Revan's room.

—

There was much she noticed in her first moments there in that hospital room.

 **One:** There was a cold collar around her neck- a force collar, she realized—and her hands and feet were bound.

 _Kinky_ …

 **Two** : The room was a drab shade of beige, and the first feature of real interest was the large two-way mirror.

 _Someone is watching me…_

 _…also kinky?_

 **Three** : The third feature of interest was the open window and the sound of fireworks and cheering coming through it.

"Are we having a party?" She asked the only person in the room, a young nurse—beautifully plump with a face like sunshine.

Evan as she flirted with the nurse, she was gathering information— **Four** : There were Jedi standing guard over her just outside the room—Jedi clearly trying not to look like Jedi and failing, but she didn't care about them. She didn't care about anything except for the awful color they had painted her room.

 _Ugh, beige…_

 _…decidedly un-kinky_

 _…too bad._

Noticeable feature number five came in the form of a door opening beside the mirror and a serious woman in an Admirals uniform stepped in the room.

"Please leave us, Nurse."

"Right away, Admiral." The nurse bowed out, leaving the two women in a stare down—each trying to figure out the other.

She examined the Admiral with cautious curiosity. The Admiral was an older woman, her dirty blonde hair was speckled with grey hairs. The Admiral was a stern woman, if her disapproving grey eyes and hard features were any tell. The Admiral was the kind of woman who liked to get to the point.

"I have only one thing to ask you, I expect a serious answer."

"Ask away, Admiral." She smiled, letting the older woman know she wasn't intimidated.

"What is your name?"

A moment of silence plagued the room while the two women continued to stare at one another.

"I…seem to have misplaced that piece of information." She was shocked at her own ignorance, it was an unfamiliar feeling she decided she didn't like it.

"Is she lying, Master Vandar?' The Admiral asked, without looking away from her.

"I think not."Master Vandar said while padding into he room. "We have a great request to make of you, dear one—But first, many thing we must tell you."

—

 **Taris - Day 3**

Eva woke with a loud gasp for air. She was surrounded by darkness in an unfamiliar setting. The Jedi must have changed their minds and decided to punish her another way- had they taken her sight, or simply banished her down a hole of—

Suddenly there was light. A man, slumped over an armchair had switched on the lamp beside him, revealing the room they were in. The familiar looking man glared at her for a few moments while his tired eyes adjusted before they suddenly popped open.

"Holy shit, you're awake." He said, almost falling out of the chair as he tried to stand up. "I was beginning to wonder if you were even going to make it."

He came closer, close enough to sit on the edge on her bed.

"Where am I, what's going on?" She asked, trying to get up but ultimately failing.

"Careful." He murmured supporting her with her arms. His hand were rough, the way all good soldier's hands were. "You hit you head pretty bad. We're in a mostly abandoned apartment on Taris, we crashed here after a Sith ambush. Do you remember?"

"Taris...?" Eva muttered.

"There's no way the Republic will be able to get anyone through the Sith blockade to help us. If we're going to find Bastila and get off this planet, we can't rely on anybody but ourselves."

"I told her Taris was a bad idea." She rolled her eyes but then smiled as she suddenly remember who the gorgeous man holding her was. "Don't worry Captain-"

"Carth."

"Eva." She shook his hand. "Don't worry, Carth. If she's alive she'll be looking for me. We'll find her in no time."

"How can you be so sure?"

"She's obsessed with me." She examined his face closer, "Good job on the scruff, Poster-boy. I barely recognized you."

He brushed his hand over his face, as though he hadn't even realized he had started to grow a beard. "You were out for a couple days."

"We'll have to be quick to catch up then...did you find anything out while I was unconscious, or did you just watch me sleep in my underwear?" His face turned red and he started spluttering something about how he found her cloths. "Relax, captain. I have no doubts you had only the purest of intentions."

Eva stood, letting the blanket slip away, which only added to Carth's blood rush. He looked away as she took her time examining the clothing he had found for her.

"I did some scouting around. There are reports of a couple escape pods crashing down into the Undercity. That's probably a good place to start looking for survivors." He said talking to a wall on the other side of the room.

"The Undercity, huh? Sounds fun." Eva looked up, noticing the captains discomfort and frowned. "You've already seen me in my underwear, there's really no need to look away now."

She held the pants against her, comparing the size to her body. "Bastila used to tell me I have the modesty of a Hutt all the time back at the temple."

"Temple?"

"Imagine being lectured by a teenager."

"So you are a Jedi?" He was no longer looking away, his eyes stared deep into hers, searching for the truth.

"Is that what my file says?" She asked, genuinely curious. She hadn't really been ben paying attention when Dodonna had been going over it with her.

"No, you file doesn't say much of anything." His eyes narrowed. _My my, what a suspicious man. Maybe Dodonna was right…_

—

" _Your identity must remain a secret, even from Captain Onasi." Dodonna sighed. "Especially from Captain Onasi."_

 _"Why, did Revan do something to him?"_

 _"Let's just say he might try to kill you, and I would hate to loose my best Captain…"_

—

Too bad he wasn't Mandalorian...they were easiest to seduce when they were trying to kill you. All you had to do was not die.

"That's because I'm a...what did Bastila say—a nobody?"

"A nobody with a VIP marker?"

"Being a nobody means I can do all sorts of things that Poster boy, Captain Carth Onasi, cannot. I think that makes me pretty important right about now."

"It also means I have no way of knowing your true loyalties."

Eva stepped forward, still dressed only in her dark undergarments, and slowly pushed Carth onto the bed. "You look tired, Captain. All those nights watching over me, sleeping on that chair. I think the lack of sleep is making you paranoid..."

"If you think I'm going to-"

" ** _Sleep_** **, Captain**." Her voice was commanding, and suddenly Carth realized just how heavy his eyes felt, and how comfortable the bed underneath him was...and how attracted he was to the women crouching over him, holding him down until his will power gave out.

"Good boy." Eva murmured dismounting from the sleeping man. She quietly pulled on the civilian clothes he had found for her and then she started rummaging through his pack for something to eat. She found a ration bar and quickly scarfed it down before prying open the mechanical door. "Sleep tight, Captain." She blew a kiss to the unconscious man before slipping out under the cover of darkness.

—

Carth awoke several hours later to an empty apartment He cussed, mentally berating himself for letting his guard down. He saw the contents of his pack had been dumped out and picked through, and the pack itself was also missing.

"I should have known that bitch would rob me-"

"Rob you?" Carth reached for his blaster as the door to the apartment was pushed open and the women slipped inside. "I would hardly call a few missing ration bars a robbery. I'm not a thief."

"What did you do to me?" Carth asked, still aiming the blaster at her head. She looked at it for a few seconds before deciding he wasn't a threat and continued to come into the apartment.

" _Do_ to you?" She asked, innocently as she set the pack on her back down-his pack, he realized.

"You knocked me out with that Jedi shit-"

"Jedi?" She started laughing, "Oh Captain, I'm not a Jedi. I told you you were sleep deprived. I barely mentioned sleep and you were out like a light."

Carth frowned, but lowered his blaster.

"So suspicious. I might find it annoying if I didn't think it was a good look for you. Look, I brought breakfast." She pulled takeout boxes from his pack and handed them to him. The smell of freshly fried Trandoshan hotcakes distracted him from his mistrust and he began scarfing the food down before the idea that the food might be poisonous had reached his brain.

Of course the thought did eventually reach his brain and when it did he froze in horror, his mouth still full.

"Really Carth? If I wanted you dead I would have done it while you were sleeping. Are you alway this mistrustful of the people under your command?"

"Yes." His eyes narrowed. "How did you afford this?"

Eva turned the pack over and let a small stack of credits pour out. "I lied, I am a thief."

"You stole money? Where did you even get all that?"

"Relax, I just combed through the other abandoned rooms. Whoever ransacked them before did a shit job...I wanted to thank you properly for taking care of me while I was unconscious."

"Don't mention it, I've never abandoned anyone on a mission and I'm not about to start now."

"How noble," Evana smiled. Suddenly her whole demeanor shifted and Carth was starting to see the benefit of having her around. "So, I did some preliminary scouting and I think I have a general picture of how the area is set up."

"Do tell." Carth said, helping himself to another hotcake.

"We crashed on what is known as "the groundfloor" of the Uppercity. Every level above us is human-only, with few exceptions, mostly Twi'leks with working permits. There's a skywalk right above us with high-end shops. We can reach it from this building if we take the elevator straight up, but I doubt we'll want to since we want to go down."

"Can the elevator take us down, too?"

"Only to a certain point. The Lowercity is blocked off, only special lifts have access and I wasn't out there long enough to find out where one might be."

Eva stood up and began repacking the bag with her credits and his supplies.

"You ready to head back out there already?" Carth asked, looking up.

"Well, Bastila isn't going to find herself." She said, shrugging on the pack and squeezing past the broken door once more. Carth was right behind her.

"Hey, hold up." He squeezed out behind her. "We should stick together."

She nodded, allowing him to follow her to the lift.

"I have an errand to run, so try not to get recognized." Eva said, pushing the "up" button on the lift. "The floors above are considerably less abandoned."

They reached the top after several minutes and the difference was startling. The upper floors were pristine and this floor's hallway even had windows. From up here, Taris could almost pass for a core world, if not for the obvious lack of aliens and he abundance of shiny Sith patrol guards

Carth headed for the skywalk, but he quickly realized that when he had been taking in the view, Evana had crept off in a different direction.

"What are you doing?" He hissed, watching as Evana attempted to quietly pick the lock of a nearby apartment door. He wasn't sure where she had gotten the thin metal tool she was using to trespass but in a matter of seconds the door's locking mechanics clicked and the door automatically slid open.

"I'm getting us supplies." Evana said, standing up and entering the apartment that was clearly better than the one they had claimed several floors below.

"You're stealing, again?!"

Evana stood up straight and slowly turned to face the pilot. "Do you have any credits on you?"

"No, but-"

"Then shut up and keep watch." She entered the apartment alone, quickly found what she was looking for and walked out again, unbothered by the look of indignation from Carth.

"Glare all you want, I bought us breakfast the same way and you already scarfed that down." She said, walking past him onto the skywalk.

He followed, and continued to glare at her all the way to Keebla Yurt's Equipment Emporium.

—

"Back again?" The woman behind the counter addressed Eva when they entered.

"I know quality when I see it." Eva said, dropping the bag of credits she had stolen just moments before on the counter. "I'll take that Echani Blade you showed me earlier and—Hey Flyboy, you need anything? Second blaster? She's got some nice ones in stock…" She trailed off in sing-song. Carth grumbled something incoherent before finally pointing out a blaster that complemented the one he already had.

"Excellent choice." Keebla Yurt smiled. "You two sure know your stuff."

"We'll take two of those, plus the energy shields…" Evana continued as she started counting credits.

—

Eva could feel Carth's eyes on her as they silently walked back to the lift with their new weapons. He was gearing up to say something to her. She could feel his conflict at her shady but necessary actions earlier and the suspicion that never fully left. When the elevator doors closed, she sighed.

"Alright, flyboy." She turned to him, surprising him with her candor. "Let's hear it."

"Hear what?" He frowned.

"You've been wanting to say something to me all morning, I can feel it." She cocked her head, daring him to disagree. "You don't trust me."

"I want to know what's going on—for real. What do the Jedi want from Taris? That diplomatic mission spiel Bastila tried to sell me on was crap and we both know it."

"Well, well…" Eva smirked. "There's a brain behind that pretty face of yours. How intriguing."

She reached her hand up to pat his face, but he cought her wrist before she could.

"And _you_." He continued, still glaring and holding her wrist tightly as though to keep her from trying to run away. "What exactly is your role in all this?"

"I'm just a scout, here to consult the Jedi—"

"Bullshit." Carth said, his face flat with disbelief. Eva didn't even try to cover up the lie.

"Sorry, Captain." Eva said, the smile never once leaving her face as she met his sharp stare head on. She was quickly finding this whole experience to be quite thrilling. "It's very need-to-know."

"And you don't think _I_ need to know?" He hissed.

Eva only shrugged, "Dodonna, and Bastila, and pretty much everyone else "in-the-know" made it very clear that Carth Onasi does _not_ 'need-to-know'."

"Dodonna said that? Specifically _I'm_ not to know?" He asked, shocked. His grasp around her wrist loosened and Eva took he opportunity to take her wrist back.

"She was worried you'd defect or something" Eve took in her companions new body posture, surprised to find him looking defeated.

"I would never defect." He said, clearly offended.

"Or something" She shrugged again, but her eyes told him she was still hiding something…

…Something he didn't have the energy to investigate today. He sighed. "I don't even know your real name. Half your file is blank and the other half is redacted."

"I've been going by Evana for as long as I remember It's more real to me than any name I had before, I can promise you that, Carth."

He nodded, subdued for now, as the elevator finally reached the groundfloor.


	3. Three

—

 **Coruscant – 10 months ago**

 _"So, you're the padawan who killed me."_

 _Bastilla had been taken aback by how friendly the woman strapped to the bed sounded. She had expected spite, anger—not a warm welcome._

 _"Good Job," The woman continued. "They've been celebrating out there for the last three months, or so I've heard."_

 _"That sounds like a bit of an exaggeration" Bastila replied, trying and failing to appear humble._

 _"Well I haven't been conscious the whole time, but they've been going pretty hard as far as I've seen."_

 _Bastila turned to the window and watched the parades below. Even from up there she could make out the shapes of holos in her form and banners with the Dark Lords face—or at least her mask— crossed out in red._

 _"I didn't kill you, I saved you."_

 _"Good thing nobody knows that, or it would be your face down there crossed out in red." Revan chuckled. "It's such a bizarre feeling, you know—Listening to them cheer for my death when I don't even remember why I deserve it."_

 _"You truly remember nothing?"_

 _"Not a thing." She sighed. "But Vandar spent a good couple days filling me in on my life according to the public record. I don't really feel like someone who was once a Jedi."_

 _"One of the best in our order. I once looked up to you."_

 _"Sorry I let you down. I can only imagine how I must look to you now." She turned to look straight ahead at the mirror. "Apparently being a Sith lord does nothing for you complexation If anything should stop you from turning to the dark side it should be that."_

 _"The masters say that overtime your complexion will return to it's original state…provided you can manage to avoid destroying anymore planets."_

 _"I thought Alek was the one who destroyed worlds?"_

 _"True, Darth Malak was indeed the one responsible for Telos; but Malachor V was destroyed by you command."_

 _"Doesn't sound like me." Revan said, scrunching her face._

 _"You're not taking this seriously."_

 _"The Jedi can try and jog my memory all they want, but the fact remains that none of this information means anything to me. My whole life has been spent in this room—you want me to redeem myself for crimes I don't remember committing and save a galaxy I have no connections to." She sighed. "Not to mention this force collar is unnecessary Wasn't it already confirmed I have no force powers?"_

 _"They want you to keep it on until all the tests are done."_

 _"How does a force bond even work with only one force user?" Revan sighed, "Why more tests?"_

 _"Revan was more than just a skilled force user She had other skills: combat, tactical, computer, languages-"_

 _"Joha, as ibic?" Revan asked in perfect Mando'a._

 _"You would remember_ that _language." Bastilla pursed her lips, and made a note on the datapad she was carrying._

 _"Sa da Foonta? Eck Tesh? Nawara seku." Revan cycled through different alien languages like a protocol droid. The feat was impressive, but only made Bastilla frown harder._

 _"Let's move on."_

 _"Shouldn't you be out with the fleet, using that special power of yours instead of trying to figure out what an old washed up Sith lord like me can do?"_

 _"Since your capture, Malak has become...aware of my abilities. The council thinks it best that I stay away from the front lines for awhile."_

 _"It sure would be unfortunate if they lost their favorite weapon…or wait, maybe that's me now."_

—

 **TARIS – Present**

The ground floor of the apartment led out to a backstreet alley. Carth and Eva passed a couple different groups of spicers and maybe even a few homeless sleeping on the streets as they made their way to a main road. A street rat bumped into them while running past.

 _Why does this shit-hole feel so familiar? Had she really come here before…or was it—_

"Hey, what's wrong?" Carth asked, snapping her out of her haze.

"That was me once." Eva wasn't sure why she was sharing, but she gestured to the kid anyway. "You should check your pockets."

"Were...you from a city-planet like this?"

"No, I'm from—"

—

" _Deralia. Your name is Evana and you were born on the planet Deralia."_

 _"I don't know anything about Deralia—"_

 _"It doesn't matter. Your name is Evana. You are a scout. You have just turned thirty-seven-"_

 _"Are you my birthday present?" The Admiral wasn't telling her anything new, the others had been pounding her new identity into her head, as though that might make it real. Dodonna narrowed her eyes._

 _"No. I am not your birthday present. Please be serious."_

—

Evana paused. She didn't feel like lying to the Captain. After seeing his reaction to Dodonna's deceit she almost felt bad for him. He was a good soldier, and he didn't deserve to be lied to, especially after this disaster of a mission.

"I was going to lie and say Deralia." She admitted. "Its what my file would have said if you had had the time to dig deeper. Dodonna said layers are what really sell a cover, but truthfully I don't know anything about Deralia so I'll just say that I grew up in the outer rim — Mandalorian space. Not a city-planet, but just as shitty."

She forgot for a moment that she wasn't supposed to have any memories from before the accident. Maybe that smack from the escape pod was a good thing.

 _A few more good smacks like that I might finally remember everything…you know, right before I die from a brain hemorrhage._

"What about you, Flyboy?"

"Telos. Republic colony, wasn't shitty until Revan and Malak paid us a visit."

 _Well shit. That explains why he might try to kill me..._

—

He could have sworn he saw her flinch.

"Telos, huh? I heard that's how Malak lost his jaw."

"Yeah, that's the rumor, but I think Revan was just trying to cover for himself—"

"Him? Revan was not a man."

"How would you know, no one ever saw him without the mask-"

" _Her_."

"I'm not going to argue with you about—"

" **HELP**!"

Eva and Carth froze, even without a translator Carth recognized the call for what it was and the pair ran around the corner to find a group of human teenagers beating an elderly Ithorian.

"Hey you little shits!" Eva called as she rushed past Carth to the Ithorian's side.

"Piss off, Alien lover. We're cleaning the streets of this trash." The kids towered over Evana, but she felt the double-bladed-sword she had pointed at the tallest one's throat made up for it.

"Does this shit-stain look like the ancestral birthplace of all humans? Fuck off before you loose an extremity." Eva narrowed her eyes, daring the humans to make a move.

"You're lucky these alien lovers showed up. Next time you're dead." The tallest kid spat before leading his gang away.

"Are you alright?" Carth asked bending down to help the Ithorian to thier feet. Evana rushed back to help support the other side.

"Thank you," The Ithorian droned in it's heavy voice. "You have saved my life."

"Can we take you to a clinic? Is there one nearby?" Eva asked, eyeing the Ithorian's swelled up face and bloody knees.

"Zelka Forn will treat me." The Ithorian nodded accepting their support as they half carried them down the road following their directions.

—

Zelka Forn's clinic was small and unsuspecting. It sat wedged between much taller buildings and seemed abandoned when they entered.

"Hello?" Carth called. "We need medical attention!"

"Hush! Keep your voices down!" An older man came out from the back and quickly shut the door behind them. "I don't need this whole block knowing I have access to medical supplies. It will attract the gangs—Ralla! What have they done to you?"

Zelka Forn helped the Ithorian to a chair and began applying a medpac.

"These humans saved me from my attackers."

"Followers of that Gorton Colu, no doubt." Forn muttered. "Thank you, friends. The last thing this town needs is another senseless death. The Anti-Alien League has become emboldened since the arrival of the Sith. Ralla is not the first victim and they won't be the last."

"We're happy we could help." Eva said while Carth nodded.

"Yes, thank you." Forn said abruptly. "Now I must insist that you take your leave. You should not be seen here."

"Now hold on a moment." Carth said, noticing how the doctors eyes kept glancing back at the backroom. "Isn't this a clinic? Why the rush?"

"He's hiding something." Eva realized. "You should **tell us** what it is."

Zelka hesitated, "I should tell—No! It's too dangerous."

"Is that a Republic ensign?" Eva asked, suddenly noticing a peice of bright yellow fabric sticking out of a crate marked for inceration.

"N-no! That's—"

"Move aside, Doctor." Eva declared, pushing past the doctor. "I sense something familiar—"

The backroom doors slid open revealing a chamber full of kolto tanks, all of them occupied by dying soldiers. Eva was at a loss for words as Carth and the Doctor came up behind her.

"This... this isn't your concern. Just... just forget you saw anything, okay?" The doctor pleaded, but was pushed aside by Carth who rushed forward into the room.

"These are my men." Carth almost whispered. "I can't believe they got away just to end up here."

"You're survivors?" Forn asked, "Then there is still hope. Please, you must do somthing about this blockade. The people in the lowercity don't have access to basic supplies a-and the rakghols—"

"We'll do what we can, but we're only two people. We need to find a way off this planet." Eva said, watching Carth.

Zelka Forn stepped forward, tentatively "People have been secretly bringing them in. Their injuries are terrible, they won't survive. But at least I can make their last days more comfortable. And at least here they are hidden away from the Sith."

"For that you have my thanks." Carth replied.

"Listen, most of the pods landed further below…" Zelka Forn began. "There may yet be some survivors…"

Eva nodded and started to pull Carth away. "Thank you, and you're right, we shouldn't be seen here. We need to leave."

—

Back on the streets, they headed back to their base in silence. Only when there seemed to be no one else around within earshot did Carth speak to her again.

"You know, I've been flying with the republic long enough to see more than my share of war. I know the costs, maybe better than anyone…but the Jedi, they led straight into an ambush." He began quietly, his voice raw with emotion. "We lost the ship and a lot of good people…and for what? I just want to know…Was it worth it? All those lives…is the mission worth it?"

Eva couldn't meet his gaze. This mission was unfathomably a failure. Whatever the Jedi council had hoped she would find here didn't exist, but Carth's question struck a nerve. Would they consider this mission a failure? They knew Taris with Sith occupied and yet they sent them anyway…and she was still alive, after all. So was Bastila, if her feelings were correct…as long as they lived there was still a chance…

"Depends who you ask." Was all Eva could muster under the weight of his gaze.

"I'm asking you, Eva."

They had stopped walking and when she looked up his eyes were searching hers for...what? The truth? Hope?

"No. It wasn't worth it."

—

Carth was having a hard time figuring just exactly what kind of person Eva was. She seemed to be able to adapt to nearly any situation and no matter what she was confronted with, things just magically went the way she wanted them to. Even her appearance seemed to change. On the Endar Spire he had thought she looked beautiful and dangerous— someone of importance. If she had started barking out orders on the bridge he doubted even he would have opposed her.

But here, on the streets of Taris, she looked and acted just like any other plain-faced civilian. She walked around like the Sith quarantine was just a minor inconvenience to her normal life as a citizen. He couldn't tell if she was acting or not, couldn't tell weather the gleam of cold calculation in her eyes was really that, or just his over-active imagination.

"Hey, is that a utility droid?" Evana asked, pointing to a T3 model that was coming out of the entrance to their apartment's elevator.

"What's it doing out here by itself?" Carth wondered allowed as they approached the droid.

"Hey little guy, you might want to think twice about rolling out on these streets by yourself. You're likely to get stripped." Eva said, bending down to speak with the droid at eye level. The T3 beeped in return.

"What's it saying?"

"He says not to worry, he was built to be inconspicuous." The droid beeped again. "And he has area schematics—actually, do you mind if we get a copy of those?"

The T3 unit beeped in affirmative, allowing Eva to make a copy on her datapad. At that movement the elevator doors opened again and a frantic looking Twi'lek woman stepped out畂摮"T3!" The woman called, "You have got to stop escaping like that!"

T3 made a long whistle sound.

"Yes I know you were made for Davik, but until the quarantine lets up and he can come pay for you you have to stay in my shop."

Eva and Carth watched as the woman dragged the droid back into the elevator.

"Now I feel bad for stopping the little guy," Eva said as they continued into their own apartment.

"At least is wasn't for nothing," Carth shrugged. "Maybe we'll get something useful from the schematics."

"Looks like there's a Cantina not to far from here." Eva said as she skimmed the map. "Might be a good place to get some more information."

—

 **Coruscant — 13 years ago**

 _Alek stood tall among the crowd gathered around him outside the Jedi Temple. Beside him stood the masked woman. Despite her smaller stature, she demanded the attention of each and every listener._

 _" **Listen to me, knights, padawans—the Mandalorian threat is growing closer. Too long have the Masters sat by and done nothing while innocents suffer.** "_

 _Her voice boomed over the courtyard._

 _" **Are we not Jedi? Are we not obligated to protect these lives? We have just returned from Cathar where we witnessed the horrors to come first hand! We saw what the rest of the galaxy will soon see, we felt what will be felt— unspeakable cruelty!"**_

 _Murmurs of discontent spread out amongst the crowd._

 _" **This mask I wear is a symbol—taken from one who tried to show mercy and was slain by her own people. I have taken up her cause—to bring Justice back to the glaxay. I implore you to do that same."**_

 _Swirls of emotion: horror, anger, fear. Everyone in the crowd felt these and more._

 _" **You know me, I have lived among you, served beside you...now I ask you to fight with me, fight back!"**_

 _The crowd began to cheer, but none were as loud as Alek, "Revan! Revan! Revan!"_

 _"Where will you strike next?" A called someone as the crowd began to hush._

 _" **Taris**."_


	4. Four

—

 **Coruscant - 2 weeks ago**

 _"You're not taking this seriously." Bastila sighed._

 _"It's not my fault I can't remember." Evana shrugged. "Maybe if I could leave this damn temple-"_

 _"You grew up here! If ever there was a place for you to be familiar with, to jog you memory, this is it!"_

 _"I trained here, I didn't grow up here. The records are very clear I grew up in Mandalorian space, I fought in the Mandalorian wars, and then I disappeared for two years in space." Eva gestured to the star map displayed in the center of the Jedi archives. "If you're looking for a place for me to regain memories, it's out there."_

 _"We don't have an idea of where to start though."_

 _"What, the archives don't have a nicely recorded list of all the planets I visited? Shocking."_

 _"Be serious." Bastila scolded again. "There were reported sightings, but nothing was ever confirmed."_

 _"Better than nothing."_

 _"Perhaps." Bastila agreed. " Still, we would need approval from the council, and Dodonna. We've been waiting all this time for you to remember something, attempting this mission with only rumors could be unwise."_

 _"I can see why former me defied the council. Every moment we waste here in this temple is a larger fleet for Malak— you spared me to make use of me, so do it already."_

 _"So impatient." Master Vandar clucked as he entered the Archives. "But perhaps, not wrong our Evana is. We can no longer afford to do nothing, we can only trust the force will guide us to what we seek."_

 _Vandar sat beside the two women and sighed. "Truthfully, I have already spoken of this with Admiral Dodonna. The galaxy is loosing hope, and the Sith's fear of Bastila's battle mediation is fading. Tomorrow you will both board the Endar Spire and head for Taris."_

—

 **Taris — Day 6**

 _It's over! The fight is over! The Mysterious Stranger has won!_

Eva left the ring victorious, and new lump of credits in her pocket and began unwrapping the fabric she used to hide her face in the ring.

"So this is where you've been sneaking off to." Carth stood waiting by the exit of the arena. As she approach he pushed off the wall he had been leaning on and smirked.

They hadn't found much at the Cantina that first night aside from dinner and a show—the show being a match from the dueling rings between Dead-eye Duncan and Gerlon Two-fingers. Eva had run off to investigate, and she had been missing for all the evenings since.

"I get ten percent of the wagers…plus I figured if I fought for him, Ajuur would have more to say about the Undercity."

"And?"

"That hutt only wants to talk about dueling."

"Well, at least the 'Mysterious Stranger' can buy me dinner." Carth chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, I didn't get to pick the name."

"You going to keep dueling?" He asked, stepping into line beside her.

"If we have time. I just feel like I should be doing something..even if it's just keeping my skills sharp."

"I get it." He nodded.

"What about you?"

"I was on my way to the Cantina when your match popped up on the view screen over there. Imagine my surprise."

"How'd you know it was me?"

"I read your file, remember? I know what fighting styles you specialize in." He said. "Got to admit, I'm impressed."

"Just wait until you get me on an actual battle field. I've been told I can be devastating."

"I believe it." Carth watched as Eva took the lead. Devastating was an understatement. He hoped he'd never find himself on the opposite side that blade, but his instincts were already preparing him for the inevitable betrayal—

"Are you coming, pretty boy?" She asked, pulling him from his thoughts. He hadn't realized he had stopped walking.

"I'm pretty boy, now?" He said scrunching his face at the newest nickname.

"They didn't slap that face on a poster for nothing."

"Is that supposed to be a come on?"

Evana winked. "Do you want it to be?"

Carth could feel the red heat start to creep up the skin of face. "Let's just get back to the task at hand."

—

Eva's laughter was full of rich tones as she called after his quickly retreating form, "I'm just messing with you, Carth. See you at the Cantina!"

She was quickly deciding that easily flustered was her favorite flavor of duty-bound solider.

—

As usual, the Cantina was packed. It was the go to place for both the natives of Taris and all her recently trapped visitors. Since Carth had rushed ahead, Eva was alone. She thought about going to look for him, but as the night was still young she decided against it.

 _I'm a rising star, after all. I think that deserves a drink…_

She made for the center of the Cantina and plopped herself on the nearest barstool. As she sipped her drink, she felt the stools around her fill up with other patrons.

" _Hey there_. I haven't seen you around before." A man's voice suddenly cut in beside her. "Of course, we don't get much time off from the base."

Evana's ears perked. "Base? You some kind of soldier?"

"That's the idea," the man laughed. He was young, Eva guessed late twenties "Don't tell anyone but most of us are just getting paid to wear the uniform."

"Are you talking about the Sith patrol guards? You guys aren't really Sith?"

"Depends who you ask. I grew up here, Taris is my home. The Sith are just my employees"

"If you can't beat them, join them, right?"

"Sure. Honestly this guard job is the best thing that's happened to me in a while, even if a lot of the locals are still pro-Republic. The name's Yun Genda, by the way."

"I'm Vera. Didn't think I would be meeting any Sith tonight." Eva said, shaking the guy's hand. As he flirted with her, she filed away the intel to tell Carth later. For some reason, the Sith were recruiting underclass locals instead of sending in their own people. Their work would be sloppy and easily exploitable, and for now that was good news.

"I'm a little surprised you're talking to me at all..." Yun said, rubbing the back of his neck

"Why?" She smiled her most breathtaking smile, making the young soldier blush.

"Ah, it's just...you're definitely way out my league"

"I may have been around he galaxy a few times." She agreed with a shrug.

"Got any interesting stories?"

"So many, I can't even remember them." She winked.

"Listen, a few of us 'Sith' are throwing a party tomorrow night…"

"Maybe I'll come look for you." Eva said as she let him plug in some coordinates on her data pad.

—

As the night dragged on, Evana suddenly realized she still hadn't caught up to her favorite Republic Captain. Her search brought her to the other side of the bar, to a Pazzak den full of smugglers and Twi-lek dancers. She almost didn't recognize him at first, but _there he was_ , sitting in the corner, a pretty girl leaning into his side, an empty glass in one hand and a a deck of cards in the other. He was laughing, the girl beside him was utterly charmed, and Evana found herself shocked to see her normally uptight roommate so relaxed…so at ease…so—

 _—was he flirting?_

 _So he **does** know how good looking he is…_

Carth had removed the ragged looking jacket and the tight shirt he had underneath did an excellent job at displaying those broad shoulders and muscular arms.

Suddenly he slammed down a card- clearly an important move, as the crowd around him cheered and he himself began scooping up the pile of credits on the table in front of him.

"Well, it looks like you're having fun." Evana smiled as she walked over to him.

"Fun? He practically robbing these losers." The woman beside him crooned, cause a few of the other plays to start glaring.

"I think that's my cue to get out of here." Carth laughed, scooping up his credits as he stood up. The woman beside him jumped up as well.

"You're leaving already?" She whined, then glared at Eva. "not for _her_ I hope."

"Am I interrupting something?" Eva ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Ah..Not at all, _honey_."

"Honey?" Eva grinned as she read the pleading look in her companions eyes. "I find you gambling and drinking in a place like this and all you have to say is 'Honey'? I'm half tempted to leave you here, but what would the children think?"

"Children?" The woman recoiled as Eva helped support her stumbling partner and began leading him away.

"Stay away from my husband you cantina-rat!" She said loudly in fake-indignation.

—

"That may have been a little over the top." Carth laughed as the pair exited the Cantina and entered the cool night air.

"I've always had a flare for the dramatic," Eva grinned.

"Well thanks." Carth said, leaning heavily against her. "I was afraid she was going to follow me home."

She didn't bother trying to hold in her laughter, "You're quite the charmer, aren't you, Captain."

"Well like you said, they didn't put this face on a poster for nothing."

"Carth Onasi." She began.

"Yes Beautiful?" He head rolled back so he could look in her eyes.

"Are you drunk?"

"Very." His head shot straight again. "Word to the wise: if someone offers you a Tarisian Ale— do _not_ accept."

Evan almost dropped him from laughing.

"Hold on, hold on. I need to sit down." Carth said, landing on a nearby bench. Evana sat next to him and smiled.

"Did you learn anything, or did you spend the whole time flirting and playing pazzak?"

"I spent the whole time winning credits thank you very much…but also I did learn something."

"Oh?"

"That girl sitting next to me-"

"The one you were flirting with?"

Carth winced. "I wasn't flirting."

"Right, she wanted to follow you home for no reason."

"... _Anyway_ , she told me the security around the base and the lifts are actually really lax. If we could just get our hands on a couple of those uniforms we could get down there, no questions asked."

"Well lucky for us, I have a new Sith friend who invited me to his place for a party tomorrow night."

"How'd you manage that?"

"Same as you, shameless flirting."

"Looks like we both got lucky tonight."

"Let's hope it lasts." Eva said, mostly to herself.

"Tell me about it." Carth agreed. "I keep going though the battle aboard the Endar Spire over in my head since we crashed…it all just seems a little…convenient"

"How so?"

"I mean, of all the people to survive—why me? Why _you_?"

"You think there's someone up there pulling strings?"

"No…that's… I guess i'm not making much sense. I've just been around Jedi long enough to know there's usually something more going on…and I don't like surprises."

"Not even ' _beautiful_ ' surprises?"

"I can see I'm never going to live that one down."

"Well, it's not everyday you get a compliment from such a handsome thug."

"Aw come on, you can do better than that."

"You think?"

"How about, 'the most handsome pilot in the galaxy.' What do you think?"

"I think it's a little wordy." Eva teased.

"We'll figure it out later," Carth agreed.

—

"How _did_ you get past all those Sith boarding parties?" Carth asked as they re-entered their apartment.

"Stealth-field-generator." Eva explained. "And a good bit of slicing the camera feeds."

"Smart."

She helped him to the bed before making her way to the makeshift kitchen to look for a glass.

"You should drink some water. Tarisan Ale can give you one hell of a hangover."

"Good idea" He said, downing the glass in one go. "You know what would be perfect right now? A hot meal. We should have stopped for food?"

"I can go make a run, if you want."

"No, I'll do it. I'm pretty sure I'm mostly sober now."

"Tell that to me in ten minutes when I have to go searching for you because you fell in a gutter."

"It's a date," Carth winked, before slipping out the door anyway.

—

 _Careful Carth, you're getting too close..._

He could still feel the slight buzz from the alcohol, but his senses were already returning as he met the fresh night air once again.

He was only out there for a few minutes, but by the time he returned Eva had made herself comfortable, sitting in the center of the bed with an oversized sweater they had looted, and not much else. Her hair was no longer tied back in the tight bun it had been it. Carth realized this was the first time he had seen her with her hair down. It was weird how normal it felt. Almost civilian. He watched her tap away on her datapad for a few seconds, letting himself forget, for a moment, that he was a fugitive trapped on a enemy controlled planet. For a few moments he was just a guy, coming back with takeout to a shared home...

 _ **Stop it.**_

 _Why? Is it so bad to want to feel normal? I just want things to be normal again..._

"Oh good you're back. I'm starving." Evana looked up and snapped him out of his thoughts.

"It's just street food," Carth said, handing her the bag, "But I've been assured it's the best street food this side of Taris."

"Wow, fancy."

He hesitated, before climbing onto the bed beside her and distributing the food.

"What are you working on?" The dip in the bed made it so that they were pressed up against each other as they picked at their boxes of takeout. He was hyper-aware of her body as it pressed up against him.

"I was going over that map again, trying to pin down a lift that can take us down once we get those uniforms."

—

"Find anything?" He was leaning into her, close enough that Eva almost shivered when he spoke. She could feel his breath against her skin. It still smelled of sweet alcohol."

"I did, there." She pointed to a spot on her datapad. "Next to the Sith base. It's the closest lift to the Lowercity."

"We'll have to be careful then." He said his voice low and husky as he turned to face her directly.

"Very careful..." Eva agreed, also turning.

 _That's it, flyboy…just lean in and—_

"Hey, what's this?" Carth ask, her brushed her hair back to reveal the metal implants hidden by her hairline. "Cybernetics?"

"Head injury. They had to reconstruct part of my skull." She shrugged, dismissively "There's a lot I don't remember anymore…Lucky for us there's such a thing as muscle memory—"

"Wait, hold on a second." Carth said, looking serious and concerned. "What exactly don't you remember?"

"Uh...everything before one year ago?"

"What?" Carth jumped up. "You have _no memories_ , prior to one year ago?"

"Was that not in my file? Damn, I really should have been paying attention..."

—

" _What happened?_ "

"I don't know all the details...I was on a ship, it blew up, the Jedi saved me—"

"If your injury was that bad, they shouldn't have reassigned you to this mission, you should have been discharged." Carth was angry, and as soon as they made it off Taris he was going to hunt down whoever was responsible for this on the Jedi Council and give them a pice of his mind. " _It's irresponsible_."

"I'll be sure to tell Bastila that after we find her."

"This is serious!" Carth exclaimed, annoyed by her nonchalance. "How—? _Force_ , are you even capable of— I—I can't even imagine." He sat down, full of questions and unable to voice any of them.

"Listen, whether or not I can remember all the specifics of my personal life is irrelevant. I've come to terms with that. What matters is that I still have the skills I gained over that time and I can use those skills to help the Republic. _That is why I'm here_."

"I...need some fresh air." Carth grumbled before leaving the apartment for the third time that day.


	5. Five

—

 **TARIS — Day 7**

He didn't like it, but Carth knew they had to keep moving forward. Which was why, the next morning they found themselves on the skywalk, silently surveying the address Yun Genda had given Eva the night before.

The had the basest of plans. Basically he Was relying on her to somehow sneak out of the party with at least one Sith uniform without being seen. He didn't like that either. In fact he had tried to talk her out of it, but it had only resulted in a fight and she hadn't spoken to him since.

After hacking into the buildings records, Eva was able to find an unoccupied apartment on the same floor as the party, and it was there they began setting up so Carth could be close by incase anything went wrong.

"We should talk." Eva said, finally, as the doors of the empty apartment closed behind them.

"You want to argue some more?" Carth grumbled, instantly regretting how condescending he sounded, especially when he looked up to see Eva's eyes had narrowed.

"You know me, I'm always up for a _good fight._ "

" _Fine_ , what's on your mind?" He sighed, giving her his full attention.

"I'm not an invalid, Carth."

"I know that. You've more than proved your capabilities-"

"So then why don't you trust me?"

He paused, "I don't want to talk about."

"Well too bad, _I_ do. I need to know if we have a problem."

"We don't _have_ a problem."

"But you don't trust me."

"Don't get yourself into a twist over it, gorgeous, I don't trust anyone." He leaned back, crossing his arms. Eva was sure he was being difficult on purpose.

"If you want to fight again, we can _turn this_ into a fight. I've been as open and honest with you as possible considering the circumstances—I threw that cover story Dodonna _painfully_ constructed for me out the window because I _trust_ you, Carth. I'm just asking for that in return."

"You want honesty? Fine. _Go ahead and interrogate me_."

"No one said anything about an interrogation, _don't be such a child._ "

"Look, I had to learn this hard way: you can't trust anyone, not your heroes, not your leaders, not your friends—no one."

"What does that _even mean_?" Eva asked, exasperated.

"It means—" Cath sighed as he took a seat across from her. "I was young when I first enlisted, barely twenty-five. Telos was smack-dab in the center of Mandalorian space, but for whatever reason we had been left alone. I didn't seem fair, hundreds of refugees were pouring in from neighboring planets everyday and we would do the best we could to house and feed them, but it wasn't enough. When Revan and Malak rallied the Jedi and turned the tide it was...They were heroes. I was damn proud to be serving under their fleet. No one expected them to...turn on us like that. But they did, they came back from force knows where as _brutal, conquering Sith_ , and the first thing they did was rally support. There were good, _solid men_ —men I served under and alongside during the Mandalorian Wars—who turned on the Republic to join their cause."

"Sounds like you're thinking about someone in particular."

Carth nodded. "Saul Karath."

"The admiral?"

"Yeah, but he wasn't an admiral back then, he was my mentor. Everything I knew, I learned from him...When Malak gave the command to bomb Telos, it was Saul who pulled the trigger."

"I'm sorry, Carth." Eva said quietly.

"That's not even the worst of it—right before he left, he tried to recruit me. I didn't realize it until the Sith bombers snuck past our defenses and began destroying half our docked ships. I knew right away, he had given our codes to bypass the scanner to Malak's fleet... _I could have stopped him_. I could have stopped it all..."

"Do you really believe that?"

"I don't know. Maybe." His eyes suddenly grew hard. "If I ever catch up to him...Saul will regret what he did. I'll make him regret it."

—

Eva left Carth alone with his anger, and she was pretty sure he was thankful for it. There were still things she had to get done in preparation for tonight, like finding an appropriate outfit and arriving fashionably late.

By the time she turned up, the party was in full swing, and most of the guests—Yun Genda included—were more than a little tipsy.

"Vera! You made it...you look...wow." He blushed as she entered the room wearing the latest in Tarisan party fashion.

"Thanks, you don't so bad yourself." She said, taking his arm. "Were you waiting for me?"

"I was a little worried you were going to stand me up." He admitted as he guided he across the room.

"Nonsense, you're a sweetheart—What are we drinking?"

"Have you tried the Tarisian Ale?"

"Careful, Yun." A blonde woman nearby warned. "It's got quite a kick. Keep drinking like that and you'll be passed out on the floor."

Come on, Sarna—you're not on duty tomorrow, lighten up."

Sarna rolled her eyes and left them for the dance floor.

"I think she likes you." Eva smirked.

"Who, Sarna? no way, she...wait you really think so?" Yun Genda asked, a hopeful look in his eyes. "Sorry, that was rude, I invited you here—"

"I'm not one to stand in the way of true romance, you should go talk to her, ask her to dance."

"Are you sure?"

"Don't worry, I'll find someone else to play with." She winked, "Now, go get her, stud."

 _Look at me, Sith match-maker..._

Now that she was alone, she took the opportunity to take a good look around the room. Most of the party guest were wearing civilian clothes, but a few were still wearing their uniforms—fresh off the base. She was trying to decided how best to proceed when she noticed a uniformed man slumped over in the corner.

 _Someone partied a little too hard tonight_

"Hey there, buddy." She said, approaching the party-goer. "Let's get this heavy armor off you so you don't suffocate on your own vomit, alright?"

She heaved the man up on his feet and led him to the refresher where she dumped him unceremoniously onto the floor and began stripping him while he remained unconscious.

As bulky as the armor looked, she was please to find it actually packed down quite compactly. She snuck out of the refresher with the armor stuffed in a pack she had found and was getting ready to make her exit when suddenly, the room filled with blaster fire.

"Shit." She said, dropping to her stomach on the ground and activating the shield generator she was glad she remembered to wear.

Across the room some of the the still uniformed drunks were shooting their blasters indoors, trying to do tricks to impress the crowd gathered around them. A few of the laser bolts were ricocheting off every surface of the apartment.

"That's my cue," She muttered to herself, trying to keep her head down as she ran for the door.

As soon as she reached the exit, she ran smack into Carth Onasi.

"I heard blaster fire!"

"It's fine, just some drunk idiot fucking around, come on I got what we came for let's get out of here." She reached for his arm and together they ran out of the Northern apartment complex, stopping to catch their breath only when they were outside and a good bit away from the scene of the crime. They watched, panting, as the on duty Sith patrol ran into the building they had just exited to investigate the blaster noises.

"That's the last party those kids are ever going to get to have." Eva laughed.

"Hopefully it was worth it." Carth agreed.

—

"It sure was for us!" Eva handed her pack off to him with pride.

Carth almost hadn't recognized her when she ran into outside that party, he took a moment to realize why, now that they were no longer running. Her dress was sleek and revealing, the black fabric clung to her curves and draped down to the floor. she didn't look like a soldier, or even a regular civilian—this was the Eva he had met the first time, on the Endar Spire, the one who looked like royalty.

 _Cold_ _royalty_ , he suddenly realized, the brisk air finally hitting him.

"Here." He said, taking off his burnt orange jacket and offering it to her. "You, uh, look nice, all dressed up like that."

"Thanks, I stole it from a shop window." She donned his jacket and laughed when she saw him glare. "Just kidding. I used some of my winnings for the dueling pit."

"Oh."

"I wasn't sure if I could pull the look off. I don't think I've ever dressed up like this before in my life— and these shoes! How do women wear shoes like this? Completely impractical I can barely walk in them."

"Need a hand?" Carth asked, offering his arm.

"God, _yes_." They started their wobbly walk back to the southern apartments elevator. As they reached the lift, an older woman stepped out and smiled at them.

"So nice to see young couples in love." The lady said, as they passed each other

Carth froze, his face quickly turning red, making Evana laugh.

"Was she talking about us?"

"I'm pretty sure all the locals know us as that weird married couple from the Cantina."

"What?"

"Actually, do you how many times I've been approached since we got here, congratulating me on finding such a handsome husband?"

"Well I guess as far as cover stories that isn't the worst."

"I should hope not, considering _you_ started it, _Honey_."

"Now don't hold that against me, I was just trying to get away from that waitress."

"Yeah right, you're a shameless flirt and you know it."

Carth realized he didn't mind the idea of being in a relationship with Eva, or that the citizens of Taris already saw them that way. It wasn't like he and Eva weren't at that age….they were both in their late thirties. Most people his age, that he knew at least, were already married. In fact, he had been married himself at one point…not too long ago.

That was what— _or rather who_ — he had been thinking about the most since meeting Eva.

 _Morgana_. It had been four years since the bombing of Telos. Was four years long enough to mourn someone you loved? He never thought he would find himself thinking about another person that way he had thought of Morgana, and yet here he was thinking about Eva, wanting to _feel normal_ with Eva.

Was he ready to move on? Was Eva even interested? She flirted, but they still knew so little about each other—was it genuine? Or was that just her manor of speaking? After all, so little seemed to phase her. She was always laughing things off. Did she consider the idea of them together laughable?

And then there was the problem with her memory. Who was she? He didn't know nearly enough about her…did she have a family out there that she just couldn't remember?

It was too much. Carth didn't want to think about any of it, not now; and besides—they still had a job to do. Whatever was happening between them…if anything was going to happen between them, it would have to wait. He had made a promise to Morgana, and he intended on keeping it.

—

 **Taris — Day 8**

 _"What do you think?"_

Carth Onasi couldn't hold in his laughter. The Sith soldier standing before him was drowning in her shiny armor and it was beyond comical.

"I think maybe you should let me be the Sith this time."

"Yeah, that's what I figured." Evana popped the helmet off and handed in to Carth. "Alright then, I'll go on ahead—last thing I need is for that Duros down the hall to think I'm a home wrecker."

"I don't think I could live it down if you cheated on me with a Sith." Carth chuckled, helping her unstrap the breastplate.

"Although…If we get caught we could always just say it's kinky role play." She said playfully as she paused in the doorway

"We better find Bastila quickly because I'm not going to be able to show my face in this neighborhood much longer." Carth deadpanned.

"Alright, alright." Evana laughed. "See you around, solider."

Carth waited several minutes before suiting up and heading out himself. He checked to make sure the coast was clear and set off in the same direction as his partner. He did his best to copy the confident gait used by the other Sith on patrol. Up ahead, far in the distance he could see her. She turned the corner, and a few minutes later he did the same.

Suddenly she her path was blocked by a handful of drunkards.

" _This is rich_ …" Carth muttered preparing to intervene, but as usual, Eva was unfazed so he stopped to watch what his partner would do.

"You better get out of our way if you know what's good for you." One of the drunks said, his speech slurred.

"I'm not really in your way, am I boys?" Eva asked, relaxed.

"You're in our way if we say you're in our way." Another drunk said, getting a little too close for Carth's comfort.

"You look tired. You should **go home** and **sleep**." Eva insisted, her voice commanding. It sent a shiver of deja vu down Carth spine, as he remembered that night she finally woke up after the crash.

"I'm tired guys..." The first drunk said. "We should go home and sleep."

"Yeah, sleep..." The walked away, Eva forgotten as they stumbled back to their homes.

Carth narrowed his eyes.

—

Eva walked straight up to the elevator entrance and waited.

"This elevator is off limits." The Sith guarding the lift said blandly. "Unless you have the authorization papers you must move along."

"Actually-" Evana began but stopped when she felt a cold metallic gloved hand press against her lower back.

" _Actually she's with me._ " Carth's familiar—if not slightly distorted—voice said, as he pushed her forward.

"Oh, another _patrol_ heading down to the Lower City, eh? Good luck..." The elevator guard said, his voice suddenly much more lively. "Be careful though, the gangs will take a shot at anyone – even us."

"Will do." Carth replied, before escorting Evana into the elevator.

"Well, that was easy," Eva let our a sign of relief once they were alone. "I wonder how often the Sith bring extras on their ' _patrols_ '."

"Often enough, apparently," Carth said, removing his helmet. He wanted out of the uniform as quickly as possible and the rise down was long enough for him to completely change out of it and repack it in their extra bag.

"Are you okay?" Eva asked. She was suddenly getting that feeling that Carth had somthing he watned to say.

"You did something to those drunks on the street."

"What are you talking about? I just talked to them."

"No, you did something. A _force_ thing. Just like you did something to me."

"You think I used the force?"

"Well, is there any other explanation for it?"

—

Carth watched as Eva's expression changed from confusion, to realization, and then to dread. It was not a look he had seen on her face before, which startled him.

"That's not good. I'm not supposed to be able to do that...Bastila—the Jedi are going to be upset."

"Wait, what does that mean—"

Before Carth could gain anymore answers, the elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open, revealing a heated gang fight right infront of them.

" _Beks are nothing but bantha poodoo!"_

 _"We Vulkar are strongest!"_

 _"We will teach you who is strongest!"_

The two gangs collided, and neither side seemed to notice the pair that stood before them trying to calculate the best way to get by even as the fight came to an abrupt end.

The group that had named themselves as the Vulkars clearly outnumbered the other group, and soon they're members were the only ones standing. The three of them turned to the strangers still standing in the open elevator and glared.

" _Upworlders are not welcome here_."

"Doesn't look like anyone is welcome here." Carth muttered, raising his blasters in a defensive position. The Vulkar who spoke began to charge, stunblade in hand; but Evana was already on them. With a twist, her echani blade sliced the Vulkar's armor open, allowing her to plunge the blade deep into his chest.

The first Vulkar had been taken down so quickly, the remaining two were stunned. Carth was too, for that matter. He had watched her fight in the arena, he had been awed by her grace and skill with the blade…but the was the first time he had seen her fight for real, and he unnerved by just how deadly she was revealing herself to be.

"Leave now or join your friend." Eva announced. She didn't bother to look up as she untwisted the blade from her victim and the remaining Vulkars wisely ran off, leaving them alone.

Carth was slow to lower his blaster, but it didn't matter. Evana didn't look back at him either.

"Come on, we need to find a base for while we're down here." She marched straight ahead into what looked like another rundown apartment complex.

The inside looked abandoned, but considering how poor in shape everything else was down here, they couldn't be sure.

"This could work…" Carth shrugged, gesturing to the first empty room they found.

"It will have to-" Suddenly they heard voices outside.

"You guys are behind with your payments. You think just 'cause you're in some gang you don't have to give Davik his cut?"

"I don't see Davik doing anything for his share." Twos aliens wearing the Vulkar colors stood in the hall in front of a single human man. "We do all the work. Davik claims he's part of the Exchange, so let's see him prove it."

"Yes, let's see the big crime lord come and get his money from the Black Vulkars!"

"Ah, so you want to play this the hard way…" The man laughed and then made a whistle. "Have it your way."

Another, older and larger man entered the apartment complex. He looked bored, like he could do some real damage and didn't really enjoy being reduced to mere muscle for a debt collector. The Black Vulcars seemed to agree.

"Canderous! We did not know you were working for Davik now."

"Yeah, we were just goofin' around…We don't want any trouble with a Mandalorian!"

"Too bad. I was looking forward to cracking some skulls." The Mandalorian stated, with the same level of boredom his face showed.

The Black Vulkars paid their debts and ran off; the debt collector took his credits and left; but the Mandalorian stayed. For a moment, he and Evana locked eyes.

"There's body on the streets here." The Mandalorian grunted, amusment in his eyes. "You should think about a cleaner death."

"I didn't come here to deal with gangs, if they want to run into my blade, that's thier business." Eva replied.

For a moment, the Mandalorian continued to stare, but then —much to Carth's horror— he gave a wicked smiled and took his leave.

"Alright, clearly this is not the right place to make base, we should move-" Carth said, gathering his pack.

"No. This is fine."

"Uh, did you not just see the giant Mandalorian standing over there?"

"He's not going to attack us here."

"What about elsewhere?"

"Maybe," She shrugged. "But for now, it's fine. There's no honor for him in attacking us in our sleep."

"Can't say I've met many Mandalorians with _honor_."

"Then you haven't _met_ many Mandalorians."

"Are you an expert on Mandalorians now?"

"What exactly did my file say?"

"Not much." He grumbled. "A list of skills, and a short service record that I realize is probably fake."

"Probably. Add Mandalorian expert to my list of skills." She said matter-of-factly before dumping her pack and heading out the door.

"Where are you going?"

Eva stretched, "The day is young, I'm going to do some scouting."

"Right." Carth replied. "I'll just watch the base then."

—

Eva took her time. The streets of the Lowercity were vastly different than the streets above them. For one, the groundloor of the Uppercity was divided into blocks, while these streets looked more like tunnels. Everywhere was dimly lit and cold. If not for the occasional by-passer, she would have thought the place was devoid of life.

She knew she had gone as far as she could when she saw Sith guards standing alert at the end of the tunnel. She switch directions, turning instead towards a Cantina.

Inside patrons sat at small tables playing pazaak with drinks in hand. Eva moved past them, but barely made it to the bar when three Black Vulkars bumped into her on thier way to approach a man sitting alone in the corner.

"Go away." The man warned. He was short and stocky, he although he didn't look especially threatening, Eva could sense there was something dangerous about him.

 _"What's wrong? We just want to say hi to the big, bad bounty hunter Calo Nord!"_

 _"Nah, this can't be Calo Nord. He's supposed to be tough. This guy is nothing but a runt."_

The man stood, " **One**."

 _"One? What that mean?"_

 _"You trying to be funny, tough guy?"_

 _"You don't want to be getting funny with us, tough guy!"_

" **Two**." Calo sighed, reaching into his pocket.

 _"One? Two? Is he trying to count how many is against him?"_

 _"It's three against one, Calo. What do you think about those odds?"_

" **Three**."

Calo Nord pulled a thermal detonator out of his pocket and threw it between his assailants. Immediately it erupted with a loud bang, and the room was filled with a flash of light, so bright it left Eva momentarily blind

When the light died down Calo Nord was gone, and three dead bodies laid at Evana's feet. She felt an insurmountable amount of dread. Without looking at herself she knew immediately she had been standing way too close to the blast.


	6. Six

Six.

—

" _They're calling us the 'Jedi's own Crusaders'."_

 _"I'm sure the council just loves that." Revan said, her hands tracing the mask she had started donning whenever she was in the public eye._

 _"They'll come around Reva." Alek pulled an arm around his friend. "We're doing the right thing. The Republic thinks so too. There are rumors the Supreme Chancellor wants to name you Supreme Commander."_

 _She leaned against his tall form, letting him be the comforter. Her unofficial apprentice had always seemed a pillar of strength._

 _"Supreme Commander." She sighed, letting his presence fill her with ease. "I should have left you behind. This army is a joke."_

 _"I would have followed you anyways...Just like all the other Jedi who left the order to follow you—"_

 _"Children, all of them. So many children. I just gave orders to my newest lieutenant, do you know how old she was?_ _ **Fifteen**_ _. I let my outrage at Cathar cloud my judgment and now I lead an army of children."_

 _"Children that can fight the Mandalorain threat head on better than any republic soldier could dream—We're here for justice, for_ _ **you**_ _—"_

 _"For revenge?"_

 _"For_ _ **Revan**_ _."_

 _"Same thing, Squint."_

 _"I wish you wouldn't call me that, it makes me feel like a kid." Alek said, his brow furrowed as he pulled away to face her. "I don't want you to see me that way."_

 _"You're barely nineteen, how else would I see you?" She cocked her head, and leaned back against the console of her flagship, the Revanchist._

 _"You were already a Jedi Knight by that age...a woman stronger in the force than any other...it wasn't that long ago..." He leaned in, brushing his masters face with one hand as the other went to pull her close._

 _"How should I see you, then?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper as she let his fingers wander, tugging at the fabric of her robes._

 _"_ _ **As a man**_ _."_

—

She had been gone for too long. Carth paced the floors of their new temporary base. The temperatures were quickly dropping as the night cycle approached.

You never should have let her go out there on her own, not with the gangs and that Mandalorian out there-

 **Clank**. The apartment door nudged, but didn't open. The blaster that never left his side was immediately in his hand as he crept forward to open the door. He relaxed when he saw it was only Eva standing on the other side, but the panic returned almost as quickly when he realized he relief had been premature.

" _Heeey Carth_ , I made it back." She said almost deliriously. She was clutching her blood-soaked side, and struggling to hold herself upright.

"Shit!" Carth dropped his blaster as he dived to catch her suddenly collapsing form. His training had kicked in almost immediately as he quickly lifted her off the floor, and gently set her on the nearest raised surface. A quick scan of the room and their supplies found him the tools he needed to cut away the clothing and stop the bleeding.

"What have you gotten into this time, Eva?" He murmured as he kept pressure and applied a medpac. He'd have to reopen the wound later to get all the pieces of debris, but for now just getting the blood to stop was his top priority. His mind raced as he tried to identify what might have caused her injury. Her side was torn to shreds and he guessed shrapnel from an explosion was the culprit.

Slowly but surely he watched the bacta from the medpac glue her skin back together until he felt confident it would stick together long enough for him to wrap her abdomen with gauze.

He sighed in quick relief once more before taking in the room and the trail of blood that now led directly to them.

—

 **TARIS — Day 9**

He found a room for rent several curving blocks away. It was small, one bed and no heat, but plenty of blankets. He piled most of them on top of her in an effort to stop the violent shivers that were convulsing down her body. He stayed up half the night, waiting for any sign of consciousness before she finally came to in the wee hours of the morning.

"Hey," He smiled when her eyes met his. "We've really got to stop meeting like this."

"Where's the fun in that?" She said weakly. He laughed, a final relief washing over his entire body now that she was conscious.

"You almost gave me a heart attack," Carth said sternly, "What happened?"

"Thermal detonator— didn't see it. Stood too close" She struggled to speak, the pain and cold were too much.

"It's a lot colder down here, huh?" He grinned, also shivering.

"If I die, at least my body will be preserved." She joked.

"No dying on my watch." He said, pulling off the black sweater he was wearing.

"What are you doing?" She asked, as he started peeling off the layers of blankets around her.

"Put it on." He commanded, shoving the sweater over her head. As she complied, he pulled himself out of the boots and combat armor he had been wearing until he too was just in his underclothes. Wordlessly, he pulled her up against him, wrapping them both under the blankets.

"Geez, You're freezing," Carth said, as her icy cold skin brushed against his.

"How are you so warm," She replied, pressing into him as she continued the shiver. He found himself rubbing his hands against her exposed skin under the blankets in an effort to bring her body temperature back up—glad her back was to him so she couldn't see how red his face was. Slowly, her shivers ceased, and she was able to fall back asleep

—

Carth was gone when she woke up, but when he returned he was wearing a new sweater and had a pair of sturdy grey pants and a medical kit in his arms.

Eva couldn't help but smile, "Those look like presents."

"We'll see how you feel about them after I use this to cut you back open." He said, gesturing to the medical kit. "How are you feeling?"

"Like a nexu tried to take a bite of me."

Carth shook his head while he set up he tools on the bed beside her. He lifted the sweater and began using the medical kit's sensor to find the pieces of shrapnel and pick them out with a pair of medical tweezers.

"How's it look?" She asked, wincing with each new cut.

"Bad." He admitted.

"I've recovered from worse." She sighed, laying back and letting him work undisturbed.

"Maybe, let's try not to one-up ourselves alright?" He replied.

"Aw, you sound concerned."

"You almost died, Eva. Of course I'm concerned." Carth paused. "I know your a badass with a mysterious past but maybe you could think about the rest of us once in a while and just slow down for a second."

"You need me to slow down for you, Captain?" She grinned.

"Sure, if that's what you want to think. You got lucky this time; next time...I just don't want to see you get hurt again." He waited for her to say something, anything. He expected her to argue, but instead he was surprised.

"I'll follow your lead, Onasi."

"Good." Confident in his work, and satisfied with her answer, Carth applied another layer of bacta and rewrapped her side. "Done. How's that feel?"

"Much better, thanks to you."

"Thanks to the medpac," He said, throwing the grey pants in her lap. "Now get dressed. We have to figure out our next step."

—

The Cantina was just as busy as it had been yesterday. The same patrons sat around tables of Pazaak as though nothing had happened yesterday at all. After ensuring that that man responsible for her injuries was not present, Carth led her to the bar so she could sit and rest, while he asked around for news of republic escape pods. With a drink in her hand, Eva focused her ears on the conversations around her.

"I can't wait for the big swoop race! I hear the Vulkars have a new engine that's going to break all the records…"

"This gang war is getting out of hand! The Vulkars aren't just attacking the Hidden Beks anymore - they go after everyone…"

"I saw Davik's new starship at the spaceport before the quarantine. They say it's the fastest ship on Taris! He calls it the Ebon Hawk…"

"We could sure use a ship like that…" Eva muttered to herself before realizing she was getting starred at from across the bar. A sleezy looking human male approached her.

" _Hey baby_. The name's Holdan. Maybe you've heard of me? I work for Davik Kang, you know."

"Who?" Eva said, completely uninterested.

"I'm one of his top couriers." He continued, as though she had asked. "Davik's always sending me off-planet to deliver and bring back packages. He knows he can trust me to follow my orders to the letter. Plus, I used to be an intergalactic customs agent so I know all the tricks they use to catch smugglers"

"Fascinating," Eva deadpanned.

"Davik's ship is the fastest one in the entire quadrant, but even the Ebon Hawk can't get off Taris until the quarantine is lifted. Any ship leaving orbit without the proper access codes will be disintegrated by the Sith auto-targeting laser canons – and those codes are locked safely away in the military base. Davik's pretty upset about it."

"Wow, that's unfortunate—" She saw Carth and got up to move near him, " Now if you'll excuse me, I think I see my husband."

"Making friends at the bar?" Carth asked, laughing when she practically ran into his arms.

"Unfortunately. Did you get anything?"

They found a small table by the bar and Carth ordered food before he started talking.

"I met Zax the Hutt. He kept trying to recruit me, I think. After a handful of credits he was more than ready to talk all about the escape pods in the undercity."

"And?"

"It seems the Black Vulkars have already cleaned them all out."

"So, should we attack their base?"

"You really don't know what 'slow down' means, do you." Carth shook his head. "No, Zax recommended we ask the Hidden Bek's for help. He gave me directions to their base, it;s in another part of town.

"Ok. Anything else?"

"I heard mention of a somewhat familiar name."

"Davik?"

"The very same. They say he's got a fast ship."

"And he's not so happy about the quarantine He's looking for these codes—" Eva stopped mid sentence. Carth, confused turned around to look at what had caught her attention.

There at the bar was a young blue Twi'lek girl. She seemed to be alone, except for the two Rodians harassing her.

"I told you to leave me alone!" The Twi'lek said. "So give me some space, bug-eyes! Your breath smaller like bantha poodoo."

—

 _"You're a little fighter, aren't you, Ad'shira."_

 _The Mandalorian's gruff voice startled the girl. In her decade of life she had managed to avoid any run ins with the clans. She starred up at the warrior clad in beskar and wondered how she could make her escape._

 _"That's what they call you, isn't it? Daughter of Revenge._ _ **Revanche**_ _in my mother's native tongue. You have quite the reputation."_

 _For whatever reason this Mandalorian seemed content to chat with her, not attack her. It only added to her suspicion._

 _"Are you afraid of me? You shouldn't be. There's no honor is killing a child, even one as strong as you. If you want, I'll teach you how to be as strong as I am..._

—

"She's just a child." Carth gapped, snapping Eva out of her thoughts.

" _Little girl should not be in bar. If she smart, she runs way home now._ " The Rodian threatened.

"Who you calling little girl, Chuba-face?" The Twi'lek spoke Basic, which was uncommon for her species

" _Little girl needs lesson in manners._ "

"Just a sec, boys. Zaalbar... a little help here? I need you to rip the legs off some insects" She turned to look back at the Wookiee who was busy eating. He made a dismissive grunt at her, but the Rodians didn't notice, all they saw was the giant aliens sharp claws.

 _"We no want trouble with Wookiee. Our problem with you, little girl."_

"You don't want to take on my furry friend? Too bad. You got a problem with me, then you got a problem with Big Z."

"You'll have problems with us as well." Eva said, walking over with Carth right behind her

 _"Little girl lucky she has so many friends_." The Rodian said before running off.

"Thanks," The Twi'lek girl said, turning to Eva and Carth. "But I had that handled."

"I'm sure you did, but your Wookiee friend looks hungry and I would hate for his meal to be ruined by a few meddling thugs" Eva smiled at the Wookiee, and he growled appreciatively.

Mission laughed, "he says 'thanks.' He hates it when I pick fights when he's eating, but it's not my fault he's always eating— Say, I don't recognize you and I know pretty much everyone in the Lower City. You must be new down here. I guess that makes me and big Z your official welcoming committee!"

"I'm Carth, and this is Eva. You got a name, kid?"

"Mission Vao. And this big Wookiee is by best friend, Zalbaar. I'd offer to give you a tour, but the streets down here aren't safe. Heck just yesterday Calo Nord was in here and he set off a thermal detonator!"

"We know. I was lucky enough to get caught in the blast." Eva said, revealing her bandages.

"Wow, I can't believe you're still alive."

"It was close." Eva said.

"Too close." Carth agreed.

"You're stuck here because of the quarantine, right?" Mission asked. "You don't look like Tarisans, not even upworlders."

"You're right. We're Republic soldiers."

"Evana!" Carth protested.

"What? You think a smart girl like this is going to waste her time blabbing about us to the Sith?"

"Hey! I'm no Sith! You can trust me." Mission exclaimed, but then quickly lowered her voice. "I got the scoop on everything that goes on down here. Anything you want to know, I can help! You wanna know about Calo Nord?

"Listen, we're trying to find our friend, she's republic, like us, and she landed down here in one of those escape pods."

"There was only one survivor, as far as I know. The Vulkars got them locked away somewhere, but If I hear anything else I'll come tell you!"

"Thanks Mission," Eva smiled. "Do you know how to get to the Bek base from here?"

"Of course, Gadon will help you for sure!" She said, typing in coordinates for them. "I bet you've been all over the galaxy, right? What's it like? How does Taris compare?"

"Honestly, Taris rates pretty low." Carth said. "There's a long history of inequality and prejudice here. I definitely wouldn't want my kid running around here on her own—even with a Wookiee to look after her."

"Big Z's my friend, not my baby sitter. We take care of each other." Mission narrowed her eyes, "And I'm not a kid, I'm fourteen."

"Is it just the two of you, then?" Eva asked.

"Not always. Sometimes we hang out with the Hidden Beks."

"Maybe we'll see you there, then." Eva smiled.

"Not today you won't," Mission waved as they departed. "Hurry up and finish eating, Big Z. We got to get in before the Gamorreans start their patrol..."

—

"Hold it right there." The Twi'lek woman with purple lekku said, blocking thier path. "Who are you and what is your business with Gadon?"

A man behind her chuckled, "Calm down, Zaerdra. Nobody is going to try anything here in the middle of our own base."

"Brejik and his Vulkars want you dead, Gadon," Zaerdra countered, still blocking Carth and Eva from moving forward. "Anyone we don't know is a potential threat!"

"Step aside, Zaerdra." Gadon commanded, and slowly the Twi'lek lowered her weapons, but not before making one final threat.

"Try anything and you'll be vaporized before you can say 'Vulkar spy.'"

"How can I help you, friends?" Gadon asked, chuckling at his seconds protective stance.

"We need information on those Republic escape pods that crashed in the Undercity." Carth stated, getting straight to business.

"Ah, yes. Everyone wants to know about the escape pods-"

"Especially the Sith." Zaerdra cut in.

"Yes, but if the Sith thought we knew anything useful they'd have a battalion of troopers kicking down our door." Gadon began. "Everyone knows the Vulkars stripped those pods clean within hours after they landed. My spies reported the Vulkars found one survivor: a female Republic officer named Bastila. They took her prisoner."

Eva and Carth locked eyes, "We need to rescue her."

"I'm afraid your friend has become a pawn in Brejik's game to take over the Lower City. He's offered her up as the Vulkar's share of the prize in the annual swoop gang race, two days from now."

"Where would she be kept?"

"No idea. She's too valuable to leave with the Vulkar scum at the base. Brejik's probably got your Republic friend hidden away somewhere safe until the big swoop race. You'll never find her." Gadon said, thinking hard. "The only hope you have of rescuing Bastila is to somehow win the big season opener of the swoop race."

"How do we do that?" Eva asked.

Gadon smirked. "The swoop race is for the Lower City gangs only. I could sponsor you as a rider for the Hidden Beks this year. If you win the race, you'll win your friend's freedom."

"And the catch?"

"My mechanics have developed an accelerator for a swoop engine. A bike with the accelerator installed can beat any other swoop out there! But the Vulkars stole the prototype from us. I need you to break into their base and steal it back."

"Deal. How we get in the base?"

"It won't be easy, but I think I know someone who might be able to get you through the back. There's a young Twi'lek girl, she travels with a Wookie. Her name is Mission Vao."

"We've met." Carth said, frowning at the idea of throwing a child in the middle of a gang war.

Zaerdra apparently felt the same. "Mission? Gadon, you can't be serious! She' s just a kid. How is she supposed to help?"

"Mission's explored every step of every back alley in the Lower City. Plus she knows the Undercity sewers better than anyone." Gadon argued. "If anyone can get them inside the Vulkar base, it's her."

"I don't like this." Carth said in a harsh whisper pulling Eva aside.

"I agree, but this is our best shot; and, who's to say they won't just send Mission in there alone anyway?"

"Damn, do you think we can catch her back at the Cantina?"

"This late?" Zaerdra cut it. "No, she'll probably be in the sewers. They'll need the proper papers to get past the Sith."

—

The Sith guards let them pass with no difficultly after they saw the papers Gadon had given them. The only words exchanged was a quick warning about Rakghouls, and then they were alone in the lift.

Carth shivered, "As if gang wars aren't enough trouble."

"Don't worry, I'll protect you." Eva winked.

"My hero." Carth said, rolling his eyes. "But in all seriousness, don't over exert yourself. You're still injured—and I'm not exactly helpless." He gestured to his blaster.

"Alright, I'll let you take point, then." She smiled, bumping him with her shoulder as the lift reached the bottom and the doors slid open.

"Open the gate! Quickly! There isn't much time!"

Eva and Carth ran to where the yelling was coming from.

"Ugh... I... I can't... the rakghouls are too close." The man guarding the gate was holding the gate shut as the woman who had been yelling pleaded with him.

"The mutants will kill him if you don't open the gate."

"And if I open the gate they will kill us all!"

"No! You can't do this! It isn't fair!" The turned and saw the approaching soldiers. "You! Up-worlders! Please, make him open the gate. Hendar will die if he doesn't"

"I can't open the gate," The guard argued. "Not while the rakghouls are so near."

"Open the gate." Eva said, her voice commanding. "I will kill the rakghouls."

"You would risk you life for a stranger?" The guard asked, incredulous. "I will open the gate for you, but only for a few seconds."

Eva nodded, and prepared to sprint through the gate as soon as it opened. Carth was right behind her, and in an instant they were trapped outside with Hendar and the Rakghouls.

"You got a plan?" Carth asked, guns raised and aimed at the large white monstrosity galloping towards them. The only thing between them was the man, Hendar, who was running for his life.

"Shoot and don't miss." Eva said before rushing forward with her Echani blade out and ready. As she ran towards it, Carth ran sideways, away from the gate but still keeping his distance and started shooting at the Rakghouls, hoping to draw them away from Hendar and the gate. Sure enough the Rakghouls abandoned Hendar and started towards their new assailant. As they charged towards him, Carth wondered if he had made a mistake, but Eva was on them in a matter of seconds, striking them down from behind with only a few blows.

Carth let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding, "Nice blade-work."

"Nice shooting." She replied, holding out her hand for him to take. "Good idea drawing them away."

Together they jogged back to the gate, stopping to help Hendar who had tripped.

"I can't thank you enough for saving me, up-worlders." He said as they lifted him up and helped support him for the walk back. "If I had anything but these rags on my back it would be yours. But we have nothing."

"I still have you, Hendar. That's all I need." His wife said, running into his arms.

"Thank you for saving Hendar. You are braver than I, up-worlder." The gate keeper said.

"No thanks is necessary, we just did what we could." Carth said.

"Well, you have our thanks regardless. I'll be here to open the gate when you return."

—

They soon learned they were not the only people walking among the diseased.

"D-don't move!" They turned a corner and were met by the end of a blaster, it's owner shaking. "I'm not afraid to use this blaster if I have to!"

"Settle down, kid." Said another man, coming up behind them. Carth and Eva quickly recognized him as the Mandalorian from the day before. "We've already lost enough men to those damn rakghouls! The last thing we need now is more casualties from a needless firefight."

The Mandalorian looked at the pair and Carth stiffened when he seemed to recognize them as well. "You again, do yourself a favor and just head back the way you came."

"Why?" Eva challenged. "Is there some danger down here?"

The Mandalorian smirked. "Very funny; but this isn't a good place to stand around chatting. I've already lost half a dozen men to the rakghouls."

"Canderous, I heard something! Over there, in the shadows!" One of the mercenaries with him warned.

"Looks like we've got company! Get those blasters ready, boys!"

Four rakghouls came running up from the other side of Canderous and his mercenaries. Eva ran past them to meet the rakghouls head on. The men began shooting behind her, but as usual the fight was over after a few swings of her double bladed sword.

"She's an impressive fighter." Canderous said admirably to Carth, "You're a very lucky man —Okay, boys. We're getting out of here before I lose anyone else."

The mercenaries began marching forward, and as Eva returned to the group Canderous turned to her. "You'd be smart to get out of here as well. Even if you can handle the rakghouls, I doubt there's anything worth finding anymore."

"We're not here for scrap." Eva replied. "We're looking for someone, a child. Blue Twi'lek; female."

"She travels with a Wookiee" Carth added.

"Yeah, I've seen that kid around. She's tougher than she looks. Brave." He said, approvingly. "I saw her heading to the sewers, that way."

"Thanks." Eva said, "Morut'yc yaimpar."

Canderous paused and smiled, "You know the language of my people?"

"I learned, came in handy during the war."

"A shame we did not meet on the battle field. You would have been a worthy foe." Eva nodded at his words and smiled. He started to walk away to join his men, but turned around to call to them over his shoulder. "K'oyacyi!"

"What does that mean?" Carth asked.

"I told him to have a safe return, and he told me to 'stay alive'...it's a Mandalorian thing."

"So we're all friends now?"

"We're not enemies" She shrugged.

"Fine." Carth shook his head. He didn't understand Mandalorians and he wasn't interested in learning right now. "Let's keep moving."

They continued walking in the direction that Canderous had pointing them to. It was a silent walk, and it remained undisturbed right up until the sewer entrance came into view. A blue blur suddenly burst out of the sewers and started running right at them. Carth and Eva raised their weapons, ready to take down whatever threat came at them, but as the figure came closer they realized it was just who they were looking for.

"Please! You have to help me!"

—

 _The girl did her best to keep the sand out of her boots as she walked though the village to where she slept at night. The Mandalorian had promised to make her strong. She had heard of Mandalorians bringing outsiders, children from far away places, into their ranks...she never thought it would happen to her—_

 _"The Mandalorain can teach you only one kind of strength, Child."_

 _The girl froze. Few in these parts had ever seen one in person until the arrival of the hooded woman before her, but everyone knew her for what she was._

 _"I can teach you to be strong in the force."_

 _"Jedi shouldn't lie." The girl glared._

 _"Why would I lie? Do you think I have anything to gain from a non-force-sensitive orphan in the streets of this unknown planet?"_

 _The girl didn't reply._

 _"My name is Arren Kae. I can't teach you the ways of the force, if you so choose. You would be stronger than any Mandalorian."_

 _"No one is stronger than a Mandalorian."_

 _"Do not be a fool. There are many who are stronger than the Mandalorians."_

 _Master Kae led the girl away from the village, to where her small ship was waiting._

 _"What should I call you?"_

 _The girl hesitated, "You can call me_ _ **Revan**_ _."_


	7. Seven

Seven.

—

" _Please! You have to help me!"_

Eva and Carth ran to meet the girl halfway, already anxiously fearing the worst.

"Are you alright? Did they bite you?" Eva asked, looking over the teenager in her arms for signs of infection while Carth dutifully kept watch incase anything had followed her out of the sewers

Mission shook her head. "It's Zaalbar. He's in trouble- big trouble! We have to help him. If we don't they'll sell him into slavery!"

"It's alright, Mission." Carth said. He turned to face them once he was sure they were safe enough and placed a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "We'll do whatever we can to help, just tell us what happened."

"Me…me and Zaalbar were just wandering around here in the Undercity. You know, looking for stuff we could find, just kind of exploring. We do it all the time." They waited for her to continue. "Only this time they were waiting for us."

"Who? Who was waiting for you?"

"Gamorrean slave hunters! We didn't even have a chance to run. Big Z threw himself at them, and he roared for me to run! I... I took off; I figured Zaalbar would be right behind me. But there were too many of them – he couldn't get away. They're going to sell him to a slaver – I just know it"

"Do you know where they would have taken him?" Carth asked, already re-calibrating his gun.

"There's only one place down here that could hold him, but we got to go now— before they move him!"

"Show us the way," Eva said, already heading towards the sewers.

—

Just as Carth had suspected, Mission's panicked retreat had attracted a lot of unwanted attention. The sewers were already filled with a horde of rakghouls ready to attack anything that moved. Fortunately for our trio, Eva was faster, and more than ready to slice through anything that even so much as dared to look their way.

Carth might have found this new maternal streak endearing if he wasn't already busy worrying about her injured side. She showed no hesitation—throwing herself in danger's path until the line of rakghouls ran out and the pack of Gamorreans appeared just to be cut down in the same fashion.

Mission ran past them to the only locked door in the area, and with the most immediate dangers out of the way began chatting, "The sewers is the only place you'll see a manual lock like this on Taris."

She fidgeted with something in her pocket, pulling out a tool, "I've rigged up a little device that should do the trick."

"Impressive," Eva mused quietly.

"You're a sight for sore eyes, Mission." Zaalbar growled as the door slid open and the Wookiee stepped out.

"I'm glad to see you too, Big Z!" Mission jumped into his embrace. "You didn't think I'd forget about you- Mission and Zaalbar forever!"

"Who are these people with you?"

"You remember Eva and Carth, from the Cantina? I never could have got you out without them."

Zaalbar turned to them and growled his thanks.

"What did he say? Carth asked, turning to Mission, but it was Eva who answered.

"He thanks us for saving him from a life of servitude and slavery, and he wishes to swear a lifedebt to us."

"A lifedebt? Are you sure about that, Big Z?" Mission asked, surprised.

Zaalbar nodded, and Mission turned to make sure Eva and Carth knew the importance of such a vow. "A lifedebt is the most solemn vow a Wookiee can make. It means he'll stay by your side for the rest of your life!"

"I am honoured to accept your vow." Eva said, bowing deeply to her new Wookiee companion.

"I guess this means you're stuck with me too." Mission said, trying to sound nonchalant. "Wherever Big Z goes, I'm going. I almost lost him today—it's not going to happen again."

"I'm glad to have you on board, Mission." Eva said. "You're first job as part of the team is to show us how to get into the Vulkar base— Gadon said you might know a back way."

"Oh, of course!" Mission said, happy to be part of a team that needed her skills. "It's past this force field the Vulkars put up— I'm one of the only non-Vulkars on Taris who can get you past it!"

Mission rushed ahead to the force field, Zaalbar right behind her. Carth and Eva trailed slightly behind.

"Lifedebt, huh?" Carth asked before giving her a one-over. "How's your side?"

"It's fine."

"You really let those Gamorreans have it."

Eva shrugged, "They shot first."

"Sure," Carth nodded. "How do you think Bastila will react to the new additions to our crew?"

"She'll get over it." Eva said, unbothered.

—

When they caught up to Mission and Zaalbar, she was already typing away at the security terminal across from the force field.

"Lucky for us I managed to pick the proper codes off the pockets of a Black Vulkar who had a little too much to drink in the Cantina one night. I'll get that energy shield down in a matter of—there!" The force field fell and Mission turned around with a smile. "Now all we have to worry about is the rancor."

Carth took a deep breath and sighed.

"A rancor. Of course there's a rancor. Why wouldn't there be a rancor…" He muttered to himself as they all continued through the sewers.

"I was able to sneak past it before, so I'm sure we'll figure something out." Mission said. "That is, unless you want to change your mind."

"That's not really an option. Gadon needs his prototype accelerator, and we need Gadon's help to find our friend." Eva explained.

"Okay then, off we go." Mission said, skipping to the front to lead the party deeper into the sewers.

—

They knew they had reached the rancor den when they could smell the stench of death. A severed arm laid at the entrance of the den, a putrid vail in its hand.

"Ugh, what is that?" Mission asked, holding her nose.

"Rancor bait." Eva said after a quick whiff. "Seems it worked too well…Anybody got a grenade?"

Zaalbar held out his satchel, making Eva grin widely when she peaked inside.

"Perfect."

Carth narrowed his eyes, "Eva, what are you—"

"Stay here." Eva winked, before activating the stealth field generator he didn't realize she still had, and disappearing into the rancors den.

"Shit."

"Now what?" Mission asked.

"Now, you stay here." Carth ordered.

Zaalbar immediately nodded, grabbing Mission so she couldn't run off.

"Hey!" She grumbled, but Carth was already heading into the rancors den after his invisible companion.

His steps were slow and measured, his brain already trying to figure out what Eva was up to and how he could pull her back to safety before one or both of them ended up like any of the other numerous corpses decaying around them. He kept his blaster trained on the rancor on the far side of the room, watching as the beast clawed at the door they needed to get through.

He was glad his training had included spotting the subtle indicators of stealth fields. He breathed a sigh of relief when he caught the shimmer of refracted light out of the corner of his eye. She was hunched over right in the middle of the bone pit in the center of the room. He was about to call out to her, when suddenly she stood, and let the stealth field drop.

"Eva—"

"HEY! UGLY! YOU WANT A PIECE OF THIS?"

Carth froze as the rancor slowly turned around to find the source of the noise. Eva was loudly brandishing the severed arm above her head, baiting the rancor to charge towards her, and charge towards her it did.

" _FuckingHELL EVA_!" Carth reached out to pull her back. The room shook with each crashing step the rancor took towards them.

"COME AND GET IT YOU OVERGROWN SPACE POTATO!" Eva yelled, throwing the severed arm right into the rancors face before pushing Carth on to the ground.

This was it. The moment they would be eaten alive… or at least that was what Carth thought right before the room erupted into hot flames.

—

"That. Was. AMAZING!" Mission yelled, running out into the den to inspect the newly charred rancor corpse. Zaalbar followed with his crossbow up incase the beast wasn't really dead.

Eva slowly rolled off her companion, grunting as she held her side. "That...may have been a mistake."

"You _think_?" Carth glared as he pulled himself up and turned to give her a hand.

"Mhmmm, yup. Definitely a mistake." She groaned as he held her up and began walking her past the rancor corpse, through the door door on the other end of it's den.

"I told you not to overexert yourself." Carth set her down against a wall in the corridor they now were gathered it. "If you ripped any of my stitches, I'm going to be pissed."

"No rips, only bruising and excruciating pain." Eva assured, though Carth still checked for himself. Satisfied, he sunk down beside her and sighed in relief.

"We really need to find you a better outlet. Perhaps something with a little less death. Or fire."

Don't worry," she replied, leaning against him. "Only a few more death defying tricks and then we're home free."

"That's exactly why I worry."

"So now what? Storm the base?" Mission asked. The four of them were gathered right outside the door to an elevator. It was the only thing left between them and the Vulkar base.

"Too risky." Carth replied. "We don't have enough intel—the layout, the number we'd be up against—not to mention we're already one person down."

"I'm not down—" Eva began until she saw Carth's face. "Fine. Mission, can you hack into their security system remotely?"

"Sure, just need a datapad."

"You can use mine." Eva passed the device over to the young hacker. "See if you can download the area schematics and take control of the security feeds. If we can get eyes inside, we can try to sneak in and out without anyone even noticing."

"I'll go." Carth said, reaching over to undo Eva's stealth field generator from around her waist.

Eva smirked as he pulled it off her. "At least buy me dinner first, Captain."

"Oh hush." He said, narrowing his eyes. "Zaalbar, you stay here and keep watch in case anyone else tries to come in this way. Comm me when you're in the system."

Eva nodded, pulling out her comm's earpiece as Carth did the same. "Do you know what you're looking for?"

"I'm sure you'll let me know." He said with a small smile as the elevator doors closed around him.

—

"How we doing, Mission?"

"I have control of all the cameras, look." She passed the datapad over and clicked on the feed from the elevator. On screen, Carth was fiddling with his blaster.

"Smile for the camera, Captain." Eva said into her comm. They watched as the Carth on screen snapped to attention, giving the room a once over before his eyes finally landed on the camera above him.

 _"You can see me already?"_ He asked, surprised.

"You and all the nooks and crannies of this base. She's fast, isn't she?"

" _Impressive_." Carth agreed. " _So, what's waiting for me on the other side of this door_?"

"Not much." Eva replied, flipping through the different camera feeds. "It's surprisingly empty."

" _Too busy harassing people on the streets to protect their own base?_ "

"Seems like it." Eva turned to Mission. "How are we on area schematics?"

"Just finished downloading. The garage will be on the second floor, but there doesn't seem to be any cameras in there. I can't see what's in there."

"Alright, thanks." Eva sighed. "Carth?"

" _Yeah_?"

"Head east, and then north. You should be reaching another elevator. That will take you to the garage. You'll be going in blind though. There aren't any camera's to hack."

—

 _"Is there a problem?"_ Eva's disembodied voice sent shivers down his spine.

"The door is locked." He replied. "Can Mission get past it?"

" _That's going to be tricky."_ She hummed in his ear. " _You'll need to find a—hold on, you have Vulkars incoming."_

Carth quickly activated the stealth field generator and waited as two Vulkar guards rounded the corner, heading straight for the garage.

"... _said he's going to sell her to the Sith when we win."_

 _"If he's not careful the Sith will come and just take her."_

 _"That's why he has her hidden far away—"_

As one of the guards swiped his passcard, Carth suddenly appeared behind them, knocking them out with a few swift smacks from the butt of his blaster.

" _Nicely done_." Eva purred approvingly as he stepped into the now open elevator.

"Thanks." He helped himself to some of the vulkar attire the unconscious men wore and entered the garage looking like just one of the many vulkars wandering around the speeders doing touch ups and loitering.

"Can I get a description of what I'm looking for?" He asked, under his breath.

" _Big. Heavily guarded. Made of metal._ " Eva's voice teased him from afar.

"Thanks, but I worked that much out myself." He couldn't help but smile when he heard her laugh at his snark.

" _Are you near a swoop bike_?"

"Tons of them."

" _Do any of them have a device with a blinking blue light attached to the engine?"_

"No—hold on I've been spotted."

"Hey you! Stop loitering and come help us with this accelerator." A green Twi'lek man gestured for Carth to enter a side room where another man and a Twi'lek woman were already waiting.

"Uh, sure—"

"Wait a second," The other man paused as the door closed behind them. "You're not one of ours—"

He was cut off as Carth landed a solid punch on his jaw. Suddenly he had two blasters drawn on him

"Looks like we have a visitor," The Twi'lek man sneered. "Tell me, were you conned by Gadon Thek into trying to steal Brejik's swoop engine accelerator?"

"It's ah, more of a recovery mission." Carth replied, his own blasters ready and aimed.

"Should I dispose of him, Kandon?" The Twi'lek woman asked, her eyes trained on Carth.

"You're not a Vulkar, not Hidden Bek...must be freelance. Listen, I didn't go to all the trouble of acquiring this prototype just so you could steal it back for that old fool. How much are they paying you? We can negotiate—"

A single shot from each of Carth's blasters fired, hitting the Twi'leks faster than they could react and knocking them out cold.

"Yeah, should have talked to me before the rancor."

—

Carth dumped the crate holding the swoop engine at their feet in triumph.

"You got it!" Mission squealed, jumping up to inspect the goods.

"Sure did." He said, dumping the Vulkar disguise. "It's a lot heavier than it looks."

Zaalbar made a grunt, and then picked up the crate with ease.

"Great work, Captain." Eva said, while accepting his arm.

"Thanks. How was being benched?"

"Wonderful. I sat here and didn't move an inch. You should be proud." She smiled while leaning against him. "In fact, I think I'm all healed up now."

"Oh really?"

"Absolutely."

"Is that why you're leaning on me for support?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's just because I like you, Onasi." She teased.

"Uh huh," He said, unconvinced. "Come on, I can feel the temperatures dropping again. Let's get this accelerator back to the Hidden Beks."

—

"I was beginning to wonder if you would make it. My mechanics need time to install the prototype into the swoop engine of our bike." Gadon Thek said when they arrived back at his base.

"One prototype accelerator, as promised." Eva said, letting go of Carth to stand up straight.

"Don't worry, I'm a man of my word. I promised you could ride in the swoop race under our banner. I'm going to do you one better: I'm going to let you ride the swoop bike with the prototype accelerator installed on it."

"Gadon! You can't be serious! We need one of our best riders on that bike! We can't let some rookie take the prototype engine into the race!" Zaerdra was horrified.

"Rookie? I could beat you in my sleep." Eva huffed, making the Twi'lek woman narrow her eyes in annoyance.

"I have to be honest with you—there's a reason I'm letting you take the prototype engine." Gadon interjected. "The accelerator isn't stable; there's a good chance it could explode during the race. I can't let one of my own riders take the risk."

"Wait, you mean she could die on the track?" Carth asked, incredulously.

"It doesn't matter—" Eva said, dismissively.

"Eva…"

"—I'm going to win."

"Perfect, we'll set up a room for you." Gadon smiled and motioned towards Zaerdra. "Zaalbar, do you know where that goes…?"

Zaerdra gestured for the humans to follow her, but Mission had already begun to drag Eva in the opposite direction.

"Go away, Mission." The older Twi'lek grumbled.

"But I wanted to show them where the refresher is."

"I can show them, after I show them to their room. Go bother someone else."

"I'm not bothering them!" Mission glared. "I'm part of the crew."

Zaerdra stopped and faced the young girl, "And just what does that mean?"

"It means they're gonna take me with them when they go to space—"

"You are not going to outer space, Mission!"

"Why not? You're not my mom—!"

"You're such a brat—!"

"Here." Carth interrupted while reaching for Eva's pack. "I'll take our stuff to the room. You and Mission can get a head start in the refresher….I'll, uh, find you later?"

"Sounds like a plan, Captain." Eva winked, taking Mission's hand and following her down the corridor away from the others.

—

"This is still too big for me, but it might fit you." Mission sat in her closet, tossing out articles of clothing for Eva to peruse.

"Zaerdra thinks she's the boss of me just because she used to have a thing for my—" She cut herself off, suddenly looking excited. "Hey, is Carth really a Captain?"

"Sure is." Eva answered while examining the things Mission had picked out for her. "He's practically the poster-boy of the Republic."

"Do you guys get to live in space all the time or…?"

"Carth probably does. Or maybe he has a military apartment. I'm usually stuck inside the temple on Coruscant—"

"Wait, you guys don't live together?"

"Why would we live together?"

"I thought you were married or something."

"Married?" Eva was shocked. "No, we...we've only known each other for a couple of weeks."

"Ugh, lame." Mission grumbled, but then shrugged. "Whatever, it will happen eventually."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nevermind. Are you gonna try the outfit on?"

"What exactly is this for again?"

"It's for the party! Gadon always throws parties when there's something to celebrate." She explained. "You guys saved the day, so you're the guests of honor...But I won't be there because I'm 'too young'...even though I also helped."

"Sorry Mission. I can skip it if it makes you feel better."

"No! You have to go so you can tell me all about it tomorrow!"

—

News of the returned accelerator had quickly spread through the base, and, just as Mission had said, the night had fastly became one of celebration. Tarisian ale was being passed around like air. The music was pounding, and it seemed every member of the Hidden Beks was in attendance, ready to order another round for our heroes.

"Hey, there you are." Eva smiled when the horde of hands that had dragged her out onto the dance floor had suddenly shoved her in the direction of her missing partner.

"Hey," He smiled back. "They really like their alcohol, these Tarisians."

"No kidding." Eva laughed. "I've drank so many, and they just keep coming."

"New outfit?" He asked, gesturing to the blue-grey romper Mission had dressed her in.

"Free of rancor-char and everything"

"Well, you look nice." Carth said, noticing her hair was down again. "Your hair too. It looks good when it's down."

"You like it?" Eva smirked.

"Yeah it...nevermind." He thought for a moment, "Did you want to dance?"

"Normally I'd say yes, but I'm having trouble staying upright as it is."

"We should find a place to sit, then." Carth suggested, looking around, and seeing nothing.

"How about our room?"

"Oh, right…"

Together they stumbled away from the crowds and the pounding music and into the relatively quiet living space Gadon had assigned to them. It was a small room, barely big enough for the bed inside it.

"I put our bags over on the…" Carth began, but trailed off when Eva began slipping out of her clothes.

"Help me out of this, will you?" She asked, spinning around so he was directly behind her. She pulled her hair up, revealing a zipper that ran down the length of her back.

He hesitated for only a moment, but then began a low chuckle. "You really do have the modesty of a Hutt."

His hands fumbled with the zipper, working it down so that the romper fell away and all that was left was her and the mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Are you complaining?"

He chuckled again as they took the last few steps to the bed.

"Never."


	8. Eight

Eight.

—

 _"Revana Nabarrie…Force sensitive immigrant from mandalorian space, age: ten—claimed by the Jedi council as a citizen of Coruscant…You've barely been here a month and already this is your third infraction—"_

 _"That you know of."_

 _Revana sat before the security officer with an insubordinate smirk. He glared at the child for a moment before returning his gaze to the monitor to finish typing his report._

 _"I understand you're new to Coruscant, but we do things differently from whatever outer rim dump you came from—"_

 _"Looks pretty much the same to me."_

 _The security officer glared again. "I wonder if your master known what kind of trouble she brought here…"_

 _"Unfortunately, she is quite aware."_

 _At the sound of the new voice entering the room, the security officer stood. "Ah, Master Kae. Right on time."_

 _"What trouble has my padawan been caught with this time?"_

 _"Illegal pod racing."_

 _"Pod racing?" Master Kae sneered. "Did you at least win?"_

 _Revana glared at the officer, "I would have…"_

 _"There are other ways to get the parts you need to fix that piece of junk you dragged from Ordo."_

 _"His name is HK."_

 _"And another thing, if you're going to sneak out of the temple, the least you could do is not get caught."_

 _"…sorry Master Kae."_

 _The older woman smiled softly before returning to the stern look she had come in with. "Come along, Padawan. We'll discuss your punishment back at the temple…"_

—

 **Taris — Day 10**

—

Eva opened her eyes...

…and then quickly shut them again to ward off the throbing in her skull.

" _Now that's a sensation better left forgotten,_ " she thought, as the familiarity of the hangover washed over her and she opened her eyes once again to take in her surroundings.

 _Alright, let's take it in—one thing at a time…_

 **One**. Her head was killing her. Tarisian ale was no joke and if the recent gap in memory told her anything it was that she had had way too much.

 _Ugh, I'm too old for this…_

 **Two**. She didn't recognize the room she was in, but she guessed she was still inside the Hidden Bek base.

 _I'm not tied up, so that's good…_

 **Three**. The room was cold, made colder by her lack of clothing—

 **Four**. — _make that complete lack of clothing—_

 **Five**. —she was naked. _In bed_.

With Captain Carth Onasi.

How had she missed the weight of his arm across her abdomen, or the heat of his breath as he snored lightly into her neck?

 _I'm really loosing my touch. Still...hello Captain~_

—

Carth had forgotten how good it felt to wake up in his own bed. It was a little chillier than he remembered—nights on Telos usually ran a little warmer— but how could he complain? Morgana was sleeping soundly beside him, her body pressed into his. Nights bunking on the Leviathan couldn't compare, no matter how important. His family could sleep easy knowing the Mandalorian threat had come to an end—

 _ **"Up and at 'em!**_ " Dustil said, bursting into the room—no _not Dustil_ , where was—?

Carth groaned, the pounding in his head sweeping in with a vengeance as reality set in.

"Yeah, yeah" Mission continued, turning on the light. "You think you're grumpy now, but after you drink this we'll be best friends."

He buried his face in the pillows, determined to find his way back to the sunny shores of his home on Telos when a voice beside him jolted him awake, and the movement of a body beside his reminded him he wasn't alone.

 _Fuck_.

—

"Do I want to know what this is?" Eva asked, sitting up and reaching for the mysterious liquid Mission was offering her. She downed it before it could be named.

"Tarisian hangover cure." Mission set the second glass on the side table. "Don't ask what's in it."

"I won't."

"So...how was the party?"

Carth groaned again, making Eva snicker. "Mission, do you think we could have a moment alone?"

"Huh? Oh...right." Mission said, blushing slightly as she backed out of the room. "Hurry up though, we gotta beat the mess hall crowd."

—

Carth's mind was a whirlwind.

 _Where are my clothes? Why don't we have any clothes? How had this happened? Oh, why couldn't he be back on Telos—_

"Carth." His panicked thoughts froze at the sound of her voice. " **Drink**."

She handed him the glass that Mission left behind and watched as he wordlessly obeyed her.

This is not Telos. That is not his wife. But everything else had been real...he had— He and Eva had…

She was watching him still, one eyebrow slightly raised as though she was waiting for something. It was then that Carth realized he hadn't said anything yet and his brain quickly scrambled to come up with words—any words. Works like—

"H-hi." He gave a small wave, and instantly regretted it when her expectant expression switched to one of amusement.

"Hi." She snickered. "Can't say I've even gotten that reaction before."

"Would you even remember?" He said, kicking himself in the head for even bringing that up. To his relief she only laughed again.

"I guess not."

He took a moment to really look at her. She was sitting up, wrapped in the same sheets he was. She was already pulling her messy hair back into the bun she always wore, but she didn't seem like she was in any hurry to move just yet. In fact, he realized, she was also taking a moment to look at him, making him realize that his upper body was completely exposed.

He blushed, reaching for more cover and began to stammer, "So about last night…"

—

Eva wasn't listening to his words, she was too busy studying his face. The longer she stared, the pinker his skin turned. And his eyes, they kept avoiding her gaze, kept looking down away…but he couldn't hide the emotions they revealed. They were just glimpses: Shame. Lust. Regret. Embarrassment…

She had to put him out of his misery.

"Carth." She interrupted his nervous rambling. He had been saying something about the inappropriateness of their stations, he was her commanding officer, blah blah blah. She knew it was all just an excuse. She reached for the closet item of clothing, it was his boxers, she realized before throwing them at him.

"Listen. You were drunk, I was drunk. I doubt either of us really remembers what happened last night so let's just leave it at that. A one night stand— A good luck fuck before _I_ win the big race."

"I still don't recall us having that discussion. What happened to slowing down?"

"Well, there certainly wasn't any slowing down last night."

She didn't think it was possible but his face got even redder and he quickly turned around as she reached for the next item of clothing which did belong to her. They got dressed back to back but continued to talk.

"I just don't want you getting the wrong idea. I don't- I'm not-"

"I don't have any ideas Carth," Eva laughed." Even if you did totally take advantage of me as my 'superior officer'."

—

Carth turned back to glare at her, but she only smiled. He was about retort something, but paused when his eyes fell on her bare back. He was baffled as to how he hadn't noticed the scarring there before...he supposed he had been a little distracted the night before, but now, in the sober light of day he couldn't miss the large streaks of lightning that ran down her back, nor could he fail to miss the missing bandages that were no longer holding her side together.

"What happened to my bandages?"

Eva looked down, surprised. "Oh yeah, well I checked them while I was in the refresher and I was all healed so…"

"I had to stich your _entire_ side back together, what do you mean you're all healed?"

"The magic of kolto?" She shrugged. "I don't know, I'm not the doctor."

He sighed. Everyday the mystery that was Eva only got more and more complex.

—

Mission was still waiting for them when they finally emerged from the room, and she dragged them to the Mess hall where Zaalbar was already waiting in line.

"This place is filling up fast," Carth noticed. "You girls find a place to sit. I'll get the food."

He walked away to join the Wookiee, leaving Mission and Eva alone to talk.

"So…you and Carth _aren't_ together, huh?" Mission asked, making Eva laugh.

"No, that would be wildly inappropriate...apparently."

" _Right_ " Mission seemed to think for a bit. "So I've been thinking...after we rescue your friend and you guys figure out a way to leave Taris...what's gonna happen to Big Z and me?"

"Well, there's always room at the temple...and then when I'm released, uh, from my contract, we can go wherever. The three of us can explore the outer rim, maybe settle down on a nice island planet. We can go anywhere you want."

"Anywhere?" Mission's eyes widened with the possibilities.

"Anywhere what?" Carth asked, as he and Zaalbar returned with four trays of food, the largest of which was placed before Eva.

"Mission wanted to know what she and Zaalbar had to look forward to after we leave Taris."

"Well, I have an apartment on Coruscant. I'm actually due for an upgrade...you could stay there too, you know, if you want." He said, turning to Eva. "There are great schools there, we could get Mission enrolled—"

"Ew. I like Eva's plan better." Mission grumbled.

"And what was Eva's plan?"

"Explore the galaxy!" Mission answered.

Carth raised an eyebrow, "Well, hard to compete with that, still education is important."

"We can figure that all out after we leave Taris." Eva interjected. "Now someone please explain this heap of food before me."

"Champion's portions." Carth shrugged, his own tray barely smaller than hers. "They wouldn't take no for an answer."

 _"They only bring the meat out for the racers."_ Zaalbar grumbled. Both he and Mission were eyeing her tray with hunger.

 _No wonder those Gamorreans had managed to catch a wookie. Poor thing was just as underfed as the girl._

Carth apparently thought the same.

"Well, only one of us is racing, and apparently it's not me." He said, pushing his tray towards the Wookiee and accepting the smaller portion in return.

"And this is way too much for me," Eva added. She began cutting up her portions in half and distributing them to the Wookiee across from her and the Twi'lek girl beside her. Zaalbar showed his gratitude by immediately digging in while Mission merely stared in awe at her pile of food.

"Are you sure? Aren't you hungry?" She asked.

Eva brushed her off, "Eat up Mission. I can't possibly eat all that, especially with a race to win— Better to ride on an empty stomach."

"Go ahead and eat your fill Mission, Eva can share with me." Carth said, finally convincing the girl to start eating the extra portions, which she did with a blissful expression on her face. He plucked a cup of soup off his tray and slid it toward Eva, daring her to refuse it.

Eva sighed but smiled as she accepted it. The broth was warm and light enough not to bother her stomach, which was exactly what she needed.

"So tell me about last night!" Mission asked, moving right into conversation. "The Bek's really know how to throw a good party. They never let me join in though. It's always go to bed Mission! You're too young to drink that, Mission!"

"It's all a bit of a blur, Mission." Eva evaded. "I don't remember much."

It was a lie she told smoothly. The truth was, now that she was fully awake and fully dressed, she remembered a lot of what happened the night before...

It had started with a kiss.

They had ended up in that room alone together and he had kissed her, and she had let him. And then his hands had started to wander, and she had let him. No, she encouraged him. Those rough hands had been surprisingly gentle…

" _Excuse me, you are the racer who will be riding with the prototype accelerator, yes?"_

Eva snapped to attention, turing to the young Ithorian mechanic who had approached their table.

"That's me." She stood and shook the Ithorian's outstretched hand. "Are you my pit crew?"

" _Yes. I am Frevik. The other mechanics want me to bring you to the garage to get your approval for some last minute adjustments._ "

"Time to go inspect the death trap, eh? Alright I'll see you guys later." Eva waved her goodbyes before following the Ithorian away from the table.

—

"Do you think she ever gets nervous?" Mission asked as they watch Eva's form disappear around a corner.

"I'm not sure." Carth admitted.

Nervous was not a word he use to describe the woman he had started this journey on. So many others came to mind: bold, frustrating, amazing…

He had told her as much the night before, right before he had made the moves that sealed his fate. He had gone for it before he even acknowledged that he wanted to; and she had met him there, her hands grabbing for him, pulling him closer. Her soft skin pressing against his…

It had been amazing...and then he had to go a fuck it up.

He knew his reaction that morning had not been what she had expected. A woman like her could have anyone she wanted...he just wasn't sure that person should be him.

—

 _Morgana._

 _Who was Morgana?_

The Itorian droned on about the mechanics of the swoop bike, but Eva's mind was elsewhere.

It had been quiet, almost a whimper; but she had heard it. While they twisted together in the dark, she had heard him call it out. _Morgana_.

Carth didn't seem like the type, but clearly there was another woman in the picture.

" _Or maybe I'm the other woman…_ " She thought, chuckling a little to herself. That would explain the way he reacted—full of panic and insisting it could never happen again.

"You almost look like a real swoop racer."

She was straddling the bike, getting a feel for the dimensions, when he walked in and interrupted her thoughts.

"Is that a compliment, Captain?" She asked, looking over her shoulder to watch him make his way over to her.

When he reached her he shrugged. "It could be."

Eva slid off the bike and the leaned back against it. "I hope you didn't come down here to try and talk me out of winning this swoop race."

"Like you would listen…" Carth huffed. "You know, I am a pilot though. Even if you are aparently unkillable, I probably have a better shot at winning."

"Maybe if this was a pod race." Eva scoffed. "This is underground street racing."

"So, you're saying you have experience?"

"I used to ride in the Coruscanti Underground for pocket money. I was good too."

"Is that something you actually remember, or are you just saying that to put me at ease?"

Eva only smiled and shrugged in response, much to Carth's annoyance.

"Eva…"

"Anyway, if this prototype engine does explode, it's better if I'm the one that gets axed."

"Why would you say that?" Carth asked, scrunching his face in concern and frustration.

"I'm a little more expendable than you or Bastila."

"You're not expendable."

She raised an eyebrow.

'Eva, I'm serious. You're not expendable, not to me. Not to Mission and Zaalbar. And if Dodonna or whoever thinks you are, they're a fool because without you I never would have been able to get this close to finding Bastila." The gap between them was nearly non-existent, but still he pulled her in closer. "You're going to win, you're not going to die, and then we are getting off this planet, together."

—

 **Taris — Day 11**

—

The annual swoop gang race of Taris' lower city was the event of the season. As such, it had been a full day for Eva, who had left the Hidden Bek base earlier that morning with her Ithorian mechanics. Most of the morning had been spent filling out paperwork and seeing what the day had in store. Most of it was watching novice racers test out the tracks while the bigger names gave interviews for far away watchers.

Carth, Mission, and Zaalbar were watching somewhere in the stands, waiting for the main event where she, and the other gang riders would begin their heats.

In the meantime, Frevik was happy to keep her company.

 _"I worked on the accelerator all night,"_ He chatted. _"Stability won't be a problem…at least I hope not…"_

"How reassuring."

" _Normally a rider can run as many heats as they want, but I don't know how long the prototype accelerator on your swoop will hold up. So make your runs count."_

"Don't worry, I will."

" _Sounds like you're ready. Just remember not to think about the prototype overheating and exploding while you're out on the track!_ "

"Well, if I wasn't nervous before…" Eva muttered to herself. She was about to find spot in line to see the announcer when she spotted the cage behind a Vulkar guard. "Bastila!"

She ran up to the cage, calling to the women inside who did not respond.

—

 _"I don't think you Jedi have thought this through enough." They had finally removed that pointless force collar, but she had traded imprisonment in a hospital bed to imprisonment in the Jedi temple; and her new warden had her on a daily regimen to get her back in shape for active duty._

 _"We've thought it through plenty-" Bastila snapped, blocking a hit from her new permanent sparring partner_

 _"Careful padawan, that sounded like emotion." Eva struck again, a sly smile creeping up her face as she did so._

 _Bastila narrowed her eyes, "Sometimes I wonder if you're really still her, just toying with us."_

 _"You think a Sith lord doesn't have anything better to do?"_

 _"Perhaps—perhaps you're just biding your time—"_

 _"Until what? I'm strong enough to beat you?" Eva suddenly shoved the pole down, disarming the younger woman and pushing her onto her back. "I already am."_

 _"That's what I'm afraid of…" Bastila muttered from the other end of Eva's pole._

 _Suddenly they were surrounded by Jedi Knights, weapons drawn to strike down a Sith lord if needed._

 _"Relax, Jedi." Eva sneered, dropping her rod and bending down to help Bastila back to her feet. "I'm not going to kill your rising star with a dueling rod…even if I wanted to."_

 _As the knights backed away, Eva turned to leave, but Bastila was still close behind her._

 _"Do you miss it?"_

 _"What?"_

 _"The power?"_

 _"You speak as though I've lost something."_

—

"No one is allowed to talk to the prisoner!" The guards stopped her before she could put her hands on the bars. "She wouldn't hear you anyway: she's got a neural disruption collar on to keep her under control."

 _Oh Bastila...now who's powerless?_

" _ **Attention racers!"**_ The announcer from the center of the swoop platform called. _"_ _ **We're about the start the first round of heats. Please line up according to your assigned placement…"**_

—

" _ **Good evening and welcome to the five-hundred-and-seventy-fifth season opening of the annual Lowercity swoop races of Taris!**_ "

The cheers of the crowds were deafening as Carth tried to keep up with the little blue ball of energy who was leading their party through the stands.

" ** _This year's competition is full of faces both old and new and the first heat of the day has been claimed by Doba of the Black Vulkars! His run is the first time to beat—scratch that, listeners. The Hidden Bek's are out in plain sight. Their rider, Anglu has already set the new time to beat at 42.3 seconds!_**

"Forty-two seconds!?" Carth exclaimed, shocked by the speed.

"Anglu can do better" Mission replied, unimpressed. "The all time record is 36 seconds."

" _Eva is next_." Zaalbar stated, point to her tiny from down below.

" ** _The Hidden Bek's never disappoint, but they do like to surprise! Is that a new rider I see under their banner? She's signed up only as 'The Mysterious Stranger.' Could this be the same Mysterious Stranger who graced our holo screens from the dueling rings above? If so, this is sure to be an interesting race!_** "

The stand went wild when she finished her heat, bring the new time to beat down to 40 seconds flat.

Unfortunately, it didn't last long.

" ** _This is amazing everyone, Redros of the Black Vulkar has just broken last year's record! The new time to beat is 35.8 seconds! But let be honest, could anyone possibly beat that? I think not! Still, it will be fun to see the rest of our racers try, won't it?"_**

"That's not good…" Carth mumbled as the next racer stepped onto the track. They weren't a Vulkar, or a Hidden Bek, so he was only half paying attention…that is until the racer's bike slid out of control crashing into debris and leaving a dark stain on the track as thier sole remains.

" _ **There's always one every year folks. Let's not forget, swoop racing is not a sport for the faint of heart!"**_

"Damn…" Mission said, eyes wide.

—

35.9 seconds. She had to beat 35.9 seconds and she also had to not die like the kid whose body she just watched get scraped off the track.

Eva took a deep breath as she climbed back on the bike. Despite their best efforts, the prototype accelerator was already overheating. This was going to be her one and only chance to beat that time and get Bastila back in a peaceful manor.

She looked up at the crowd, hoping to find her friends. Zaalbar made them easy to spot, way at the top. She looked at Carth, trying to read the expression on his face, just as he was probably trying to read the expression on hers.

 _"I should have just caused a riot."_ She thought, facing forward. _"I should have set something on fire and then grabbed Bastila and then—"_

The lights blinked.

Red.

Yellow.

Green.

" _ **Go**_!"


	9. Nine

Nine.

—

" ** _Go_**!"

Eva jammed her foot against the pedal, sending herself flying down the track. Every second counted, every dodge and swerve needed to be precise to keep the seconds down. With every passing obstacle and speed pad she could feel the heat of her bike climbing rapidly.

" _It's overheating_..." She realised, the finish line within sight. The rapid beeping of her warning gage seemed to meld with her own heart beat. _"It's going to blow!_ "

The second she was across the finish line, Eva launched herself forward, rolling onto the edge of the track as her bike shot forward, off the track and into the air where it exploded...showering the platform and everyone on it in dust and debris.

As the smoke cleared, a roar erupted through the crowd— Eva had finished the track in only 32 seconds.

—

" _You did it!_ " The Ithorian exclaimed, running up to her at the end of the track. " _In twenty years I've never seen anybody handle a swoop like that before! Nobody's going to beat that time—nobody!_ "

"Let's hope not," Eva winced. Her landing hadn't been quite as graceful as she had hoped and she suspected she was now sporting several more bruises because of it. "That bike is done for."

" _Everyone will get one more heat to try and beat if they want, but they might just call it. There's first aid by the announcers podium if you need it._ "

She approached the podium, ready to patiently wait for the end of event; but no sooner had she taken her seat when the area was stormed by several armed guards being led by a young, tanned skinned man.

" _Brejik, what are you doing? You know there are no weapons allowed back here-"_ The Duros behind the podium tried to say before one of the Vulkar Guards shot at the ceiling, silencing the announcer and gaining the attention of the room.

"People—Hear me!" Brejik announced to the room full of shocked racers and mechanics. "Our so-called champion is a cheater!"

"Says the guy who brought guns to a swoop race." Eva sneered.

"Your swoop bike was using a prototype accelerator — clearly an unfair advantage! I'm withdrawing the Vulkar's share of the victory prize."

" _You can't do that, Brejik."_ The announcer tried to reason. _"You know the rules: nobody is allowed to withdraw a victory prize after the race. It goes against all our most sacred traditions-"_

"Your traditions are nothing to me! If I want to withdraw my prize and sell this woman on the slave market, nobody can stop me!"

" _I_ might have something to say about that, Brejik." A voice said behind them.

Two things happened, very quickly. The first was Eva taking advantage of the momentary distraction to grab for the nearest guard's weapon, wrestling it out of his hands before the rest of them could recover from the second thing, which was Bastila Shan bursting out of her cage with a force push so powerful it brought everyone on the platform down to their knees.

"That's impossible!" Brejik scream as he scrambled back to his feet. " Vulkars—to me! Kill them all-!"

But he was too late. Eva was already on him, hitting him in the back of the head with the butt of her stolen blaster rifle.

"Enough!"

Bastila, and the rest of the room, looked up to see Eva standing over the young gang leaders body.

"It's over."

—

Bastila was startled. She had not expected any aid when she realized she could make an escape, and she certainly hadn't expected to see her.

Her shock turned to dread as the woman on the platform shifted her focus onto her, a hard expression on her face that Bastila could not read.

"This Vulkar/gang war shit is getting old and I'm tired." The woman said, slinging the gun over her shoulder and stepping forward. "I think it's clear that the Hidden Bek are tonight's victors, so if they're no complaints I'll be taking this one home with me."

Like a ronto caught in the headlights, she couldn't move.

"If there are any complaints...well they can join Brejik on the floor." She grabbed Bastila's arm and yanked her forward. "Let's go."

 _Why is_ _ **she**_ _here? There's no reason except...does she remember?_

It wasn't until they were alone that Bastila found her voice. "No! Wait, stop!"

She pulled away, causing Eva to turn around and face her.

"Where are we going, what are you doing—?"

"Bastila, what's—? I'm rescuing you."

"Rescuing me?" Bastilla exclaimed, offended. "Don't treat me like a fool! I freed myself from that neural restrain collar—"

"Yeah, after I remotely tampered with it earlier."

"You- what?" _Was Revan really...helping her?_

"It's the first thing I did when I saw you." Eva pulled out her data pad. " I locked onto the signal and shorted it out so you'd come-to in case there was trouble."

Bastilla looked stunned, "You….rescued me?"

Eva stopped and turned around, "Why do you sound so surprised? You know the mission isn't over just becuase we crashed, right?"

"I thought you were...I mean, I just figured you would have taken the opportunity to run."

"And leave you high and dry in the sewers? What kind of friend would I be if I did that?" Eva smirked and began walking again. "Although, if I'm being honest...I definitely thought about it. Lucky for you I landed here with Carth—"

"Captain Onasi is alive? Finally, some good news! He's one of the Republic's best soldiers" Bastila's relief was palpable. "Please, take me to Carth right away. He'll get us back to Republic space before the Order even know we're missing."

"Doubtful, but speaking of, I should probably comm him to let him know we're alright."

—

Carth, Mission, and Zaalbar were waiting dutifully by the base entrance...as were most of the Hidden Beks—they're victory party already in full swing.

"You did it!" Mission exclaimed jumping into Eva arms. Carth was right behind her and Mission had to wiggle herself out from between them.

"Hi!" The Twi'lek said, turning to the newcomer behind Eva. "I'm Mission. You must be Bastila."

Carth released Eva from his embrace and turned towards the young Jedi. "Good to have you back, Bastila. Now we just need to figure out a way to get off this planet."

Bastila frowned, "You mean you don't have a plan to get off Taris yet? What have you been doing all this time?"

"They've been looking for you!" Mission defended.

"And who is this little Twi'lek?"

Eva put a protective arm around Mission. "This is Mission, she's been a big help, and she is a part of my team." Zaalbar appeared behind Bastila, making her jump when he growled to announce his presence. "As is Zaalbar."

"A Wookiee and a child?" Bastila scoffed, "What were you thinking? Now that I'm back in charge of this mission, perhaps we can start doing things properly. Hopefully our escape from Taris will go more smoothly than when you "rescued" me from Brejik—"

"Hey, wait a second." Carth frowned. "I know you're new at this, Bastila, but a leader doesn't berate her troops just because things aren't going as planned. Don't let your ego get in the way of the real issues here."

"That hardly strikes me as an appropriate way of addressing your commander, Carth. I am a member of the Jedi Order and this is my mission. Don't forget that! My Battle Meditation ability has helped the Republic many times in this war, and it will serve us well here I am sure."

"Your talents might win us a few battles, but that doesn't make you a good leader. A good leader would at least listen to the advice of those who have seen more combat that she ever will."

Eva groaned loudly, "Both you settle down! This isn't helping and we're very close to disrupting what should be a happy victory party for our gracious hosts. Let's at least take it inside."

—

Mission led the way to an empty storage room and the five of them piled in. As soon as the door was shut, Carth continued.

"You know, I had my doubts about this mission but I figured the Jedi Council wouldn't have put you in change if you weren't prepared. But here you are, acting like a spoiled child!"

"You're right, of course. I apologize." Bastila conceded. "It's true that I don't have much military experience; perhaps I should not be so quick to judge. Very well, Carth: what do you suggest we do?"

"First off we can't get hung up on who's in charge;" Carth said, turning to the room. "We all need to work together if we want to get off this rock. The answer's out there, we just have to find it."

"Well said, Carth." Eva added, standing up. "And it's not like we haven't already been looking into this. We know we need to find a ship, and we know we need to get Sith launch codes."

"Where are you going?" Bastilla demanded, as Eva started to walk out of the room.

"We're not going to find all that stuff tonight," Eva waved her off. "Now if you'll excuse me I have a victory party to join."

"Woo! Wait for me!" Mission said, her and Zaalbar following Eva out. Bastila watched Eva and her posse leave, her eyes narrowing. As if she could feel it, Eva turned back, her eyes meeting Bastila's until they were out of sight.

"You're welcome to join the party as well, Bastila." Carth offered. "We'll get back to work first thing in the morning."

"Thank you Captain Onasi, but no. I'm going to find a quiet spot to meditate."

Carth nodded, and made for the door.

"Ah, Captain—a moment, if you will."

He paused, and turned back to face the Padawan.

"That woman...Evana...has she been cooperative?

"Cooperative? Eva?" Carth laughed. "You have met her, right?"

"Let me rephrase...Have you noticed any strange or concerning behavior?"

"I know about the brain damage, if that's what your asking. I think considering, she still quite capable."

"I see…" Bastila hummed as she considered the Captain's words.

"What's her deal, anyway? Ex-convict? Merc?"

"That's none of your concern, Carth." Bastila only smiled curtly, much to his continued annoyance. "I look forward to a full report of all the events prior to my rescue when we return to Republic space."

—

Bastila's dismissal was clear, if not a little brusque, but he'd be damned if he was going to let it bruise his ego.

 _"Getting bossed around by a child..."_ He thought, as he spied his partner sitting by the bar. _"At least we have that in common_."

"You're not going to drink that, are you?" He asked her, gesturing to the drink in her hand.

Eva laughed, "God no, but I figured out if I just hold a full glass, it keeps them from giving me new ones...How's our bratty new leader? Still sulking from that lecture you gave her?"

"I wasn't too harsh, was I?"

"Nah, I think she got what was coming. I'll send Mission to find her later and make sure she has a place to sleep."

"How is it that we came to be responsible for not one, but _two_ teenage girls?"

"I blame you." Eva chuckled, before taking a small sip of her drink.

"Me?"

"Everyone's got daddy issues, and you give off major dad vibes."

"Yeesh." Carth shuddered, "What did I get myself into."

"Nothing you can't handle, I'm sure...and it's only until we get you and Bastila back home safe."

"I'm not that important."

"Bastila said you're one of the Republic's finest."

"Really? And here I thought she didn't like me."

"'Please, take me to Carth Onasi, right away!" She mimicked, taking his hand.

—

Taris — Day 12

—

" _You cannot win, Revan!" Bastila's voice was full of conviction. She truly believed she could end it all here. The thought almost made Revan laugh. Instead she ignited her own lightsaber. She would try to end this quickly, and painlessly if she could. Her opponent was a child still, after all._

 _"I have to win. The galaxy is doomed otherwise." Maybe she could even avoid the unnecessary bloodshed. Young Jedi were easy to turn to dark side, especially if she could tug at the young girl's emotions. "None will be left alive."_

 _But no, the Jedi wanted to fight. Fine then, Bloodshed it would be—The ship began to shake._

 _Revan turned to face the bridge windows, and what she saw made her blood boil. The Leviathan—one of her own ships!—was firing at her Revanchist. Only one person would have the authority, the command power—She howled his name as her ship came crashing down around her._

 _"Malak! You betrayer!"_

—

Eva shot up in panic. The darkness was suffocating. She needed to get out before it crushed her. She needed protection, she needed—

A warm arm stopped her from vaulting out of bed.

"Hey, woah." He said, pulling her back into his arms. "Calm down. What's happening?"

She paused, regaining her composure, waiting for her mind to catch up, to remind her where she was. _Bek Base. Bed. Carth_. Right. She remembered, and she relaxed, letting Carth pull the covers back over them.

"What wrong?" He asked again.

"A nightmare, I think." She said, but then remembered Bastila's face. "Or maybe, a memory?"

"What did you see?"

"My death." Now Carth was the one to sit up. "I mean, the accident...no. Not my death. Someone else's. Not mine. _Hers_."

"Who? Whose death did you see?"

"Not mine. These are her memories. I don't want them."

"Wait, slow down." Carth shook his head. "You're not making any sense. Just take it easy. And breathe."

He seemed to realize then that he was still holding her because his face turned red again and he looked away. Over his shoulder a clock read out the early morning hour.

"It's early, but I think the mess hall will be opening soon," Carth turned back to her. "That is if you don't want to go back to sleep."

"I don't think I could fall back asleep if I tried."

"Come on," Carth said, getting out of the bed and reaching for his clothes. "At the very least they should have some caffeine."

—

He was right, the mess hall was empty, but open as the kitchen staff prepared breakfast for the base. Carth grabbed some mugs of whatever was hot and brought them back to the table where he had left a tired eyed Eva. They sat in comfortable silence beside each other, sipping from their cups as the mess hall slowly filled with Hidden Beks.

Gadon was one of the first to find them there. He approached their table with Zaerdra right behind him as usual.

"If it isn't our champion. I'm glad you didn't leave before I had chance to properly thank you for putting Brejik in his place."

"If I had known how annoying he was I would have done it for free." Eva replied, bringing Gadon to a laugh.

"Now that you've found your Republic friend I assume you'll be trying to find a way off planet soon," Eva and Carth nodded. "You're more than welcome to stay with the Hidden Bek's until you do. It's the least we can do."

"Thank you , Gadon. Your generosity is appreciated."

"Before I go, I just wanted to clear something up." Gadon said, sitting down in front of them. "Mission seems to think there's a spot for her on your ship out of here, is that true?"

"It is. As long as that's what she still wants."

"That's good." Gadon nodded. "I can tell she's taken with you two, it would break her heart if she left behind."

"There's no chance of that, Gadon. She's a capable girl, I'm honored to have her and Zaalbar on our team." Carth added.

"Mission will always be family, but Taris is a dump. Even I know that. She's young enough that she can still do something with her life if she was just given the chance."

"I have every intention of giving her that chance, Gadon. I promise." Eva said, solemnly.

"I'm glad we're on the same page." Gadon stood. "Now speak of the Devil."

He walked away as Mission came down the hall chatting away happily with Zaalbar and Bastila who was trailing behind them.

"You ever just use the Force for fun? You know, a little jolt of the Force to trip some jerk who's ticking you off?"

"I would never use the Force for such petty and trivial revenge." Bastila replied. "How preposterous."

"Ah, come on. There's got to be times when you've thought about it. Don't be so stuck up – you can tell me," Mission begged.

Bastila only frowned harder. "I am not stuck up. I merely have the years of training to give me the wisdom and understanding to see how childish such an act would be."

Now Mission frowned. "Childish? You ain't much older than me, miss high and mighty! Just 'cause you're some Jedi doesn't mean you can be a prissy little—"

Suddenly Mission stumbled, as though the air around her had been knocked right under her.

"Did you just force push me!?" Mission exclaimed. "That is so cool!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Mission." Bastila tried to hide her sly smile as she continued walking into the mess hall. "Come now, we have to get going. Please do try to be less clumsy in the future."

Mission scrambled to her feet, leaving Zaalbar and Bastila in line while she sprinted straight for Eva and Carth. "You guys are already awake! Did you see what Bastila did!?"

She pulled herself into the seat next to Eva, wrapping her arms around the older woman.

Eva held the girl's arms in place, and chuckled slightly. "I saw...how is she?"

Carth stood, one hand brushing against her back to get her attention, "I'll go get our trays."

She nodded, turning back to the Twi'lek.

"She's not very friendly." Mission said, honestly, "But I figured if I was held prisoner for a couple weeks I wouldn't be so happy either."

Because it was still early, the line for food was relatively short, and soon Carth was walking back, two trays in hand, Zaalbar and Bastila right behind them.

"It's actually not that bad, Bastila." Carth was saying as they reached the table. Zaalbar sat on the other side of Mission, passing her his second tray of food while Carth and Bastila sat across from them. Carth placed his second tray in-front of Eva before he sat down.

"Tell me more about being a Jedi!" Mission asked almost immediately. "We always hear about how strong you guys are—Brejik must have had a bunch of men with him if they managed to capture you."

Bastila blushed slightly, the table getting awkwardly silent.

"I was actually wondering about that too…how did those Vulkars manage to capture a famous Jedi like you? Were you knocked out when your escape pod crashed?" Carth asked.

"No, I was conscious. My Force powers were exhausted from trying to use my Battle Meditation on the Endar Spire."

"Fair enough, but I've seen you Jedi in action. How did those thugs beat your lightsaber?"

"My lightsaber was…misplaced." Bastila stammered. "I couldn't find it after the crash, and those Vulkars overwhelmed me before I could find it."

Carth started laughing, "Wait a minute, let me get this straight. You lost your lightsaber? Ha-ha! I mean, isn't that a violation of some kind of Jedi code or something?"

"Is that really a rule?" Mission asked.

"This is no laughing matter!" Bastila exclaimed. "During the crash my lightsaber must have…it must have fallen from my belt and rolled under my seat. The Vulkars probably found it there when they searched the wreckage."

Bastila was practically pouting, and Carth struggled to rein it in. "Don't get upset, I'm sorry. It's just funny to think of a legendary Jedi losing her lightsaber."

"Oh, that reminds me." Eva said suddenly, reaching down to pull something out of her boot. She passed the metal hilt over to Bastila who's eyes lit up immediately.

"My lightsaber! Where did you find this?"

"I picked it off Brejik after I knocked him out. Didn't want to hand it over in public, incase we ran into Sith or something, so I shoved it in my boot and forgot about it."

Just then, one of the Hidden Beks approached their table. "Excuse me, Champion?"

"Yes?" Eva replied.

"Sorry to interrupt your breakfast, but there's a messenger at the entrance here to see you."

"A messenger?" Eva stood, and Carth moved to stand with her. "No it's fine. I'll be right back. Lead the way."

She left Carth and the rest of their team in the mess hall and followed the Hidden Bek to the base entrance.

A green Twi'lek man was waiting for her there.

"You are the champion of the swoop race?" He asked, as Eva approached.

"That's right. I hear you have a message for me?"

"My message is from Canderous Ordo. He asks you meet him in the Cantina in the Upper city."

"The Mandalorian wants to meet me, why?"

"He has an offer for you, one you can't refuse, or so he says. Given his connections, you can see why it would be foolish to ignore his request."

"Alright. Thanks for the message. I'll find him in the cantina."

"A wise choice, human. I would advise you not to wait too long. Mandalorians are known for many things, but patience is not one of them."

The twi'lek left, and Eva returned to the Mess hall. Carth stood up again when she reached the table.

"Well?" He asked, their whole team looked up, expectantly.

"The Mandalorian wants to meet with me." She said. Carth groaned.

"You're talking about Canderous, right? Davik's top gun?"Mission asked, eyes wide with excitement.

"The very same." Eva nodded.

"What does he want?" Carth asked.

"Not sure, but he never said to come alone, so you're welcome to come with me when I go."

"Of course. When do we leave?"

"Soon. After we finish eating."

"I want to come too!" Mission exclaimed, her tray practically empty already.

"I don't approve of meeting with mercenaries." Bastila announced.

"Well it's a good thing _you're_ not coming then." Eva replied.

"Why not?" Bastilla demanded.

"The Sith are still looking for you, Bastila." Carth reminded her. "And unlike down here, the Upper City is crawling with them. You'll be safest down here until we can find a way off Taris."

"Don't worry, Big Z can keep you company!" Mission said. The Wookiee growled indifferently and Bastila only pouted.

They finished the rest of their meals in relative silence. When they finished, Carth and Mission ran off to get their gear. Zaalbar returned to the line in hopes of seconds, leaving just Eva and Bastila.

"Evana…" Bastila began. Eva looked up from her tray. "You are still _Evana_ , right?"

"You'll believe what you want regardless of what I say, but yes. I am still Evana."

"Replies like that are exactly the reason we have to keep questioning it." Bastila replied, crossing her arms. "Nevermind that, I don't wish to interrogate you. I only wanted to ask if you were alright."

"What?"

"You seemed troubled."

Eva scrunched her face, "It's nothing."

"Keep your secrets if you want, but we both know I can sense that there is more. Especially with our bond."

"Fine. But don't freak out." She leaned across the table so that Bastila could hear her whisper. "I think I'm regaining memories."

"Which ones?" Bastila's own whisper was frantic.

"I said don't freak out! Carth said I hit my head on the way down...ever since I've been getting little flashes from my childhood. It's all pre-force, nothing useful…except..."

"Except?"

"Except last night, in my dreams. I saw Revan's final moments. On the Revanchist. Your confrontation, Malak's betrayal. I saw it all."

"Normally this would be very concerning, but last night I dreamed the same. It may be that our bond has allowed you to experience my memory of the events."

"That's what I was hoping. I don't need anything in my head that will give Dodonna reason to go back on our agreement."

Bastila paused, but Eva could read between the lines.

"You don't think Dodonna will honor our deal."

"Dodonna is only one voice. You are a prisoner of the Jedi, and ultimately it is the Jedi who will decide your fate."

"Yeah I'm sure that will go over with Dodonna just fine."

—

She left Bastila alone in the mess hall, and headed towards the room she shared with Carth. He was still there, going through the pack of gear he had snatched from the Vulkar base.

"I forgot about that." Eva said, as she came into the room. "Did you get anything good?"

"Mesh underlays, and body armor to replace what you lost from that detonator." He handed the light armor to her before stripping out of his own civilian clothes in favor of the mesh underlay and a heavy combat suit he had won from a Hidden Bek the day before.

"Are you expecting a fight?"

"Not necessarily." Carth said, cocking his head. "But If you think I'm going in unprepared for one…"

"You're such a good soldier." Eva said, patting his shoulder. She laughed, but also started to strip down so that she could put on the combat armor he had handed her.

After they were suited up they met Mission, who was already waiting for them by the base entrance. Carth tossed her a blaster.

"You know how to use that?" He asked.

"Sure." Mission said, in a way that insinuated that everyone in the lower city knew how to use a blaster.

"Good. Don't use it unless you need to."

Eva led the way back to the elevators. No one stopped them, and when they reached the top of the lift they were shocked to find there were no Sith guards anymore.

Carth made a low growl. "No guards."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Mission asked.

"We have papers, so they wouldn't have stopped us." Eva explained, "But the fact that their not even guarding this area anymore…they might be planning something, switching tactics."

"I'm sure their superiors are angry Bastila hasn't been turned over yet." Carth said. "Hopefully we find a way out of here soon."

"Cantina is this way, let's go." Eva said, focused as she continued to lead them through the Uppercity.


	10. Ten

Ten.

—

It was still early, so the streets on the way to the Cantina were uncrowded, and the Cantina was practically deserted. The Mandalorian sat alone in the central hub

"I see you found the girl." He greeted them.

Eva slid into he booth across from him, Mission slid in beside her, but Carth remained standing.

"Let start with proper introductions, shall we? My name is Canderous, of clan Ordo."

Eva opened her mouth to speak, but the Mandalorian continued. "You are Republic soldiers. He's Carth Onasi, the pilot, and you are…well you're a bit of a mystery, aren't you, Evana."

"I'm Mission Vao." Mission said, extending her hand across the table to the Mandalorian. To Carth's surprise, Canderous shook it amusedly.

"So you are." He turned back to Eva. "As you can see, I've done my research. Lucky for you I'm the only one who's shown interest…so far that is."

"That sounds like a threat." Carth said.

"When I threaten you, you'll know it." Canderous replied. "Here's the deal. I know who you are, and I know what you can do. I also know that Taris is the last place you want to be right now, which means we have some things in common."

He leaned in, making sure no one would overhear them. "I've got a plan to escape Taris, but I can't do it alone. I need someone I know can get the job done to help me. That's where you come in."

"I already don't like this." Carth muttered.

"Good thing I ain't talking to you. I'm talking to The Mysterious Stranger."

Eva chuckled, "I bet Ajuur the Hutt is swimming in royalties from that dumb title. Maybe I should see him about upping my cut while I'm here."

"See, that's the kind of attitude that gets shit done. I need someone crazy and skilled enough to steal the Sith launch codes from their base. I think you could be that person."

"She's crazy alright." Mission interjected. "Most humans can't even survive a ride on a normal swoop bike, much less one with a prototype accelerator attached."

The Mandalorian smiled at Mission before turning back to Eva. "You get me those launch codes, and I can provide the vehicle to get off planet."

"How exactly do you propose I get inside the military base?" Eva asked, her face remaining neutral throughout the whole conversation.

"Getting in won't be easy: the Sith base is protected by an encrypted security system. It would take a top-of-the-line astromech droid to slice through it. It just so happens that I know just the place to get a droid like that. Davik was having one custom built by Janice Nall. Her shop in on the North side. If you tell her I sent you, she'll sell you the droid and then you can use it to get inside."

"You have all the resources, why not do it yourself, why involve us?"

"Everyone knows who I work for. I can't break into the base without getting Davik's estate swarmed—and there goes our getaway-ship."

"We should discuss this with Bastila." Carth urged pulling Eva aside, but she waved him away.

"There's no time. You said it yourself, the Sith are getting impatient. We can't keep hidden forever. We need those codes, and now we have the resources to get them."

"You really have no respect for the chain of command." Carth said, shaking his head.

"Does that upset you, Captain?"

"You've kept us alive this long, I can't be upset about that." He shrugged. "If you think this is that right move, then I'm right behind you."

"Me too." Mission added.

Eva nodded to her crew, before turning back to Canderous. "Alright, we'll work with you. Where should we meet after we get the codes?"

Canderous nodded, approvingly, "I'm going to wait in Javyar's cantina. You come find me when you've got those launch codes and I'll make sure we all get off this rock."

—

Eva, Carth, and Mission exited the Cantina. It was midday now, and the streets were much busier than they had been.

"I need you to head back to the base, Mission."

"But-" The twi'lek started to protest.

"It's not because I don't think you can handle breaking into the Sith base, it because I need someone to head back and get Bastila and Zaalbar ready to go, and you'll be quickest."

"Things are really moving fast, huh?" Mission asked.

"Hopefully. Here, take my comm. Make sure anything that's our is packed and ready to go at a moments notice."

"Got it." Mission took Eva's comm and saluted before running off and disappearing into the crowd.

"You really think we'll be leaving soon?"

"We better. Those Sith codes won't stay the same if they if they realize they've been stolen. I'd like to be long gone before that happens."

"I guess it all depends on whether or not Canderous can uphold his end of the deal."

They walked back to their old apartment complex and rode the elevator up to the top of the city. The coordinates Canderous had given them led them to the North side of the city to find Janice Nall's droid shop. It was a small shop, shoved in the corner with a handful of other alien-run shops.

"A customer?" A yellow twi'lek women greeted them from behind a counter. "Come in, come in. Janice Nall, at your service. Welcome to my droid and droid supply shop. Always good to see a new face —customers are hard to come by. A lot of Taris citizens won't even come to this area because they know the shop owners are non-human."

"I guess stupidity and ignorance never go out of style." Carth sighed.

"I must warn you, my selection is a bit limited right now—the Sith soldiers confiscated all my assault droids." Janice apologized, "But I've got a utility droid you might find interesting."

"We're actually here for a very specific droid. Canderous sent us."

"Oh, Canderous sent you? Finally! This T3 model keeps trying to escape down to the lower city, but Davik still owes me the final payment. He's all yours for 2000 credits."

"Well you know how it is, quarantine and all." Eva replied, handing over the credits.

"Wow…look at you, big spender!" Janice Nall laughed. "Okay, the T3-M4 unit is yours. Pleasure doing business with you. A real pleasure."

They walked out, the T3 utility droid rolling behind them. It made a few beeps, as though to greet it's new owners.

Eva bent down to fiddle with the droid's programing. She smiled when she found the chip she was looking for and yanked it out.

"Welcome to the team, T3...do you remember us?"

T3 beeped in the affirmative and then again in an appreciative tone.

"What did you do?" Carth asked as she chucked the extra chip away.

"I just removed his loyalty chip so he won't feel the need to run off to Davik when we're done." She turned back to T3. "You're a free droid now, but we'd really appreciate it if you could help us out first. There's a spot on our ship out of here, if you do."

T3 whirled, making Eva smile.

"Good." She turned back to Carth. "You ready to storm the fortress?"

"I really wish we had kept that Sith uniform." He muttered before cocking his gun. The Sith base was just down the road, on the other side of a barrier meant to cut it off from everyday traffic. They approached the base unnoticed, no guards or turrets lined the empty street; the only true sign that this was a base was the way the door was shielded.

The T3 unit went straight to work, overriding the door. In a matter of seconds the door's shields disappeared and the door slid open.

A Twi'lek woman at a desk looked up in shock. "Hey—you can't come in here! This is a restricted area! You better tell me what you're doing or I'm going to hit that alarm!"

"Hey, calm down. If you'll notice, the door opened for us. That means we're allowed to be in here." Eva tried to explain, but the women looked down at their droid, suspiciously.

"Ok fine. Here's 50 credits." Eva said, holding out the small pile of credits. "Take it and get out of here, just don't hit that alarm."

"50 credits? You've got a deal! The Sith have made my life a living hell ever since they took over this base. Just do me a favor and wait until I'm out of here before you start blasting the place up."

She took the credits and ran out the door behind them.

"T3, close that door will you?" Eva said before helping herself to the terminal behind the receptionist's desk. She sliced into the system and began accessing the security cameras.

"What are you looking for?"

"Someone of importance…they wouldn't have left the launch codes with just anyone…someone has to be in charge here, and they'll be the most likely to carry the codes on them.

Carth watched as she switched from room to room on the screen. Each room seemed to be filled with Sith, and Carth's stomach dropped. How in the hell were they going to get through all that alive?

She looked up at him, as though sensing his doubt and took his hand. "Don't worry, I've got an idea."

She gestured to the droid and as he rolled over she moved aside. "T3, I need you to lock all the doors on this floor except those leading to the elevator, and shut down all the security droids. Set and automatic timer to reboot the system in one hour."

The droid immediately went to work, and Eva turned to Carth. 'We should be in and out before they even noticed anything is wrong, and until then they'll be locked in their rooms."

They walked down the empty hallways in silence. Eva and the T3 unit strolled casually, but Carth couldn't help but look at every door and deactivated assault droid with suspicion. His blaster remained ready to shoot at anything that dared to move.

They reached the elevator in a matter of minutes. They took the elevator to the top and for the first time since arriving at the base, Eva pulled out her Echani blade and held it defensively. There was someone important here, someone dangerous. She could feel his power, dark and familiar…

She pushed the doors open and was met with a meditating Sith Governor.

The large man stood and turned to face them. "Who dares to break my meditation? You will pay for this interruption— wait. I know you...that's impossible!"

"The only thing that's impossible is how sad you look in those robes." Eva sneered.

The Sith Governor looked at the trio hard before taking out his blade and starting up a power shield , "This meeting is a stroke of luck for me— my master will surely reward me with my lightsaber once I kill you.

"No." Eva said, her blade already in position, "He will not."

Eva charged the Governor, but he was much more skilled than any foe she had encountered on this planet as of yet. He blocked her easily, meeting her swing for swing. Even Carth's blaster fire was doing little damage thanks to the shield. It was only when T3-M4 moved forward and shocked them both that the Sith fell, his shield shorting out so Carth could deliver the final blows: a series of rapid shots to the skull.

Carth ran to Eva's side. T3's electric arm had got her too, thanks to the proximity, and she was lying on the floor in a great deal of pain. His gun lay on the floor, forgotten as he held her in his arms.

"Nice shot, T3." She groaned, as Carth helped her up. She stumbled reaching for the corpse beside her so she could root through his pockets. She pulled out a datapad, clicked on a few files and found exactly what she hoped she'd find: The Sith launch codes.

"He seemed like he knew you." Carth observed. "Who was he?"

"Honestly I have no idea. We got what we came here for, we should go." Eva said, reaching for Carth's gun on the floor and handing it back to him. He quickly attached it to his belt before turning his attention back to her.

"Can you walk?" He asked her, already moving to pick her up. She let him, content to stay in his arms a little longer, especially as her legs were still very wobbly. T3 led the way out and soon they were back on the streets of Taris.

Carth put her down in the alleyway not too far from the Elevator back down to the Lower City.

"Are you okay?" He asked her, checking her over for injuries. His hands brushed against her gently as he checked for bruises and scrapes.

For someone who claimed they couldn't be together, he sure did like to feel her up.

Not that Eva was complaining. Had he bothered to look up he might have caught a glimpse of the warmth starting to climb up her face.

"I'm fine, just needed to catch my breath." She said, using his support to stand back up. She turned away from him, giving her body a few good stretches and letting her face cool before turning back to face him. The way he was looking at her was enough for her to want to turn around again. He head was cocked, a mischievous smile plastered on his face, and admiration in his eyes. _God why was he so charming?_

"What?" She asked him, willing her face to remain neutral.

"Nothing," He shrugged, still smiling, "You just continue to amaze me."

He held out his hand, and when she took it he squeezed it tightly. "Come on, there's a Mandalorian waiting for us."

—

Together they went down the lift, and then to Javyar's Cantina, T3 rolling closely behind them.

Canderous was waiting in the Cantina, just as promised. It was packed and it took them a moment to find him, but there he was waiting at the bar.

"About time." He grunted, unimpressed when they approached him.

"We got the codes, what's next." Eva asked, sitting next to the Mercenary.

"Next is, I take you to Davik. He's always looking to recruit new talent. I'll tell him how you won that swoop race and mention that you're interested in working for the Exchange. While he's running background checks, we steal the Ebon Hawk and escape Taris."

"That's…not a bad plan." Carth admitted. "It might just work."

"It better." Eva grunted, her body still sore.

"Come on—I've got an air speeder nearby to take us to Davik's estate. The sooner we're off Taris, the better."

Eva gave coordinates to the T3-Unit, telling it to find the Hidden Bek base and stay with her crew, and then used Carth's communicator to contact her young Twi'lek friend.

"Mission, this is Eva, come in."

"Mission, here." The comm replied. "How'd it go?"

"It went just fine, we're proceeding to phase two. Is everyone ready to go?"

"Yeah, we're all packed."

"Good. I'm sending a T3 unit your way, when he gets there I need you to take him, and everyone else and wait for us in the Upper city. You'll need to be extra careful to make sure Bastila isn't recognized. I'm sending you coordinates to an abandoned apartment complex Carth and I stayed at for a while. Get there, and then wait for us on the roof."

"Gotcha. See you soon?"

"Hopefully. Eva out." She handed Carth back the comm and turned to Canderous. "We're ready. Let's go."

—

 _In the skies above Taris, The Leviathan waited. Her captain, Admiral Saul Karath, was anxious. Darth Malak was growing impatient in their search for Bastila, and he feared he would soon be punished if his Governor didn't report back something positive in the immediate future._

 _"You summoned me, Lord Malak?" He asked, coming on to the bridge._

 **"Can you feel her? She's so close...I can almost touch her."**

 _"Our men are working harder than ever to locate Bastila—"_

 _"_ _ **No, not the Padawan!**_ _" Malak roared. "_ _ **My master...she is here. I can feel her.**_ _"_

 _"My lord...Revan was killed one year ago, by your own hand…"_

 _"_ _ **Yes. And now she's haunting me...No. She's taunting me! Even now, that wretch!**_ _"_

 _Saul waited. One could never be to careful when the Dark lord went through these phases on insanity. It was the price they paid for using the Star Forge so heavily as they did._

 _"_ _ **Karath**_ _!" Malak spun to face his admiral. "_ _ **The search for Bastila is taking too long!**_ _"_

 _It was as the admiral feared._

 _ **"We cannot risk her escaping Taris.**_ _"_

 _Karath gulped, he had to come up with some response, some solution or else-_

 _"_ _ **Destroy the entire planet.**_ _"_

 _The bridge became gravely silent._

 _"The…the entire planet, Lord Malak?" Karath stammered. "But…there are billions of people on Taris! We'd be slaughtering countless innocent civilians. Not to mention our own men still on the planet's surface—"_

 _"_ _ **Why so hesitant?"**_ _Darth Malak smiled as evilly as a man with no jaw could, and it was terrifying._ _ **"This is not the first planet you've bombed for me, now is it, Admiral?"**_

 _"N..no my Lord Malak. I will do as you command." The Admiral bowed. "It will take several hours to position our fleet."_

 _"_ _ **Then I suggest you begin immediately. You are dismissed."**_

 _"Yes, Lord Malak."_

 _As the Sith lord walked away, Saul signaled to his communications officers. Hopefully there would be enough time to evacuate his men…_

—

Eva frowned. Something was wrong. Something was really very wrong. Carth was the only one who noticed how pale her face was turning, He gave her a questioning glance, squeezing her hand again.

They had already arrived at the estate, and Canderous was leading them to the crime lords throne room. Davik Kang was a small man, and despite the fact that he looked like he had never seen a real battlefield, he donned a purple war suit. He stood when Canderous entered the room and moved to give the Mandalorian an clearly unwanted embrace.

"Ah, Canderous. My favorite Mandalorian." He let go of the grimacing merc and turned to Eva and Carth. "I see you brought some friends. Most intriguing, If I do say so myself. You usually travel alone."

"It's not like you to take on partners, Canderous. You're getting soft." Calo Nord spoke up from the corner. If he recognized Eva, he didn't show it and he seemed to smirk at the Mandalorian.

"Watch yourself, Calo." Canderous mocked. "You may be the newest kath hound in the pack, but you're not top dog."

'Yet." The bounty hunter retorted.

"Enough! I won't have my top two men killing each other—that's not good business." Davik waved his men away from each other. "I'm sure Canderous has an explanation as to why he's not working solo anymore…?"

"This is a special case, Davik." Canderous said, as sweetly as someone like him could muster. "I ran into someone the Exchange might want to recruit. You may have heard something of their exploits already."

"Ah, yes—now I recognize your companion. The Mysterious Stranger. I've seen you in the ring! Very impressive. And that swoop race! I was blown away."

"I didn't know you were such a swoop fan." Eva replied, extending her hand which Davik shook eagerly. "My name is Evana."

"A casual fan at best, but everyone on Taris follows the big season opener. It's a pleasure to meet you, my dear. And who is the handsome man standing behind you? A body guard?"

"That's her arm candy." Canderous smirked, making Carth glare back at him."

"Carth is my partner, outside of the ring and off the track." Eva explained. 'He watches my six."

'Well, with a recommendation from Canderous—and a thorough background check – you could both become part of the Exchange. Come with me— I'll give you a tour of my operations. I'm certain you'll be impressed."

—

The hanger bay was the last stop on the tour, and Davik took special care to explain all the inner workings of his ship and the security that guarded her.

"Ah, there she is – the Ebon Hawk. My pride and joy; the fastest ship in the Outer Rim! Note the state-of-the-art security system I've had installed to protect her. The shields are completely impregnable. Nobody can get past them without the codes to try and steal my baby." He spoke with pride, but then his face turned sour. "Unfortunately, the Sith military blockade has grounded her. The Ebon Hawk can outrun any vessel in the galaxy, but even she isn't fast enough to avoid the auto-targeting laser cannons of the orbiting Sith fleet. I am, of course, working on acquiring the Sith departure codes so that I may come and go as I please. However, progress has been slow… but that concludes our tour. Canderous, I trust you can show our guests to their quarters? Imust insist you stay as my personal guests until we get everything settled."

"We would be honored. Thank you for you hospitality." Eva nodded before following the Mandalorian down the hall and dragging Carth behind her.

—

"Okay, we're inside. Now all we have to do is figure out a way to get past the Ebon Hawk's security system." Canderous said when they were alone, but Carth immediately turned to Eva and took her hands again.

"Somethings wrong. What is it?" He asked her, searching her eyes for answers.

"I'm not sure." Eva started. "But as we were getting here I suddenly got a feeling...like something is about to happen.

She looked Carth straight in the eyes, her own eyes hardening. "We need to get off this planet, now."

—

The trio crept out of the guest hall and followed Canderous to Davik's room. It was empty, and Canderous began looting through the Crime Lords things, hoping to find codes to the security system.

"I got nothing." Canderous growled. Eva started rooting through the closet finding it full of the purple war suits Davik had been wearing.

"He gets them custom made." Canderous explained. "They've got great resistance stats."

Eva nodded before yanking a couple of the suits and shoving it in her bag. "What? He looks close to my size."

Carth and Canderous both shook their heads, but Eva just smiled. "He's got taste in armor, that's all I'm saying."

"Let's keep moving, someone has got to have those codes."

—

The next room they stumbled in hadn't been on the tour. It was a torture room, and a single prisoner stood trapped in a cage. Canderous accessed the terminal to turn off the holding cell while Eva shook the man to wake him up.

"Hey, Holden...Do you remember me?" Eva asked, yanking the pilot up by the straps on his chest. "You flirted with me at Javyar's cantina a few nights ago."

"Wait, when did this happen?" Carth asked, only to be ignored.

"What's a pretty babe like you doing in a place like this?" Holden slurred. Eva groaned in annoyance before pressing the man up against the wall.

"You told me you were a pilot for Davik—"

"I was...until I got caught stealing spice."

"Do you know the codes to disable the security system protecting the Ebon Hawk."

"Depends. What's in it for me?"

"Your freedom." Carth bargained at the same time Eva and Canderous blurted out: " _Your life_."

"Yeesh. Fine take the codes." He loaded the information into Eva's datapad. "Now I'm getting out of here. It won't be long before Davik realized I'm free..have fun stealing that ship, darling."

'We've got what we came for" Canderous said. "We should get going."

They found the security terminal outside the hanger and plugged in the codes. As the hangar doors opened, the ground suddenly began to shake. As the shaking became more and more intense, Carth and Eva looked at each other in panic.

Carth had a sudden, horrifying realization, "They're bombing the planet!" His eyes were widened in panic and he reached for Eva's hand as the trio ran for the ship.

"Damn those Sith. I knew they'd turn on us sooner or…" Davik and Calo Nord also burst into he Hangar bay. Eva, Carth , and Canderous stood frozen when they realized they were caught. "Well, look what we got here! Thieves in the hanger."

Eva cocked her head. "Hello Davik."

"So, you figured you'd just steal my ship for your get-away and leave me high and dry while the Sith turn the planet into dust? Sorry, but that ain't going to happen!" Davik spat.

"I'll take care of them, Davik. I've been looking forward to this for a long time." Calo Nord moved to shoot at Canderous, but the Mandalorian had anticipated the first shot, and was already preparing to fire back.

"Make it quick, Calo. The Sith mean business. If we don't get to the ship and somewhere safe, the bombs they're dropping will kill us all-" He was cut off as Eva jumped in-front of his path to the Ebon Hawk. She took him down with a quick slice to the face.

Despite Carth's and Candeorus's blaster fire, Calo Nord was still standing, and as he turned and realized his boss was lying dead and he too was about to be sliced open by Eva's blade he held out a Thermal Detonator.

"You may have me outnumbered and outgunned," He yelled. "But if I'm going down I'm taking all of you—"

"No!" Eva cried, pushing the bounty hunter away with her mind. As he crashed into the far wall, another bomb hit, causing chunk of roof from Davik's estate came crashing down on him. Carth looked at Eva, shocked, but neither of them had any time to reflect as the Mandalorian was already pulling them into the Ebon Hawk

"Let's get this ship fired up so we can pick up the rest of your friends and then get the hell off this planet." He yelled, pushing them into the cockpit.

Eva clutched the communicator. "Mission? Come in, Mission." She screamed as the ship began to take off.

"The Sith are bombing the planet!" Mission panicked voice comm'd back.

"I know, we're coming for you. Are you on the roof?"

"We're all here, Bastilla is doing some mediation thing she says will make the bombs miss us, but I don't know how long that will last. The fire is getting heavier."

Carth expertly steered the Ebon Hawk through the fire storm that was raining above them. Eva watched in the cockpit with him. The planet was on fire and Eva couldn't help but think the worst as she waited for the roof they were looking for to come into view. Finally she saw them— A tiny blue dot jumping up and down beside a larger, furrier dot waving them down.

Carth flew toward them, hovering as close to the building as he could without landing. Eva ran back to the exit ramp, where Canderous was already stationed, preparing to open the door and help pull in the rest of the crew.

They reached for Mission first, who threw herself into Eva's arms while Zaalbar handed the T3 droid up to Canderous.

"I didn't know if you would get here in time." The twi'lek cried. Eva held her close. "I thought maybe you wouldn't come—"

"I will always come back for you, Mission." She said, pushing the girl further inside before turning to help Canderous help lift up the Wookiee "Go get strapped in. We're not clear yet."

Bastila was last, and as she stopped meditating to make a run for the Ebon Hawk, the next round of bombs began to fall, causing all sorts of debris to fall in her path.

Eva reached for the padawan, willing her survival as she pushed out with her mind to keep the bombs and debris away from them. In an instant, everything around them flung back. As Bastila grasped Eva's hand and was pulled in, time seemed to stop. Bastila's eyes were wide with fear and shock as she realized the force push had come from Eva.

" _ **Punch it!**_ " Eva yelled, snapping back to reality as Bastila was pulled safely inside. The three of them raced for the cockpit just as the alarms began to sound.

"We've got incoming fighters!" Carth announced. Canderous immediately turned around and headed for the gun turrets.

Bastila pulled herself into the co-pilot's seat and began barking out orders.

"Plot a course for Dantooine! There's a Jedi enclave there where we can find refuge."

Carth didn't reply, but quickly began punching in coordinates.

As the ship rocked, Eva ran to strap herself in with the rest of the crew.

She squeezed Mission's hand as the ship shook and the sounds of the blaster cannon went off. After a few minutes the ship made one final jolt, and then there was silence. Eva unstrapped herself and headed back to the cockpit, sighing with relief as she realized they were in hyperspace.

"We made it." Eva said, stepping into the cockpit

Carth stood when she entered, everything about him looked a little disheveled and his eyes were a mix between panicked and haunted. He stepped towards her, but Bastila cleared her throat before he could make it pass the galaxy map.

"There's no time for victory celebrations just yet." She said. "We must speak to the Council first thing when we arrive and tell them of the failure of this mission."

"No celebrating? That's a shame. " Canderous said, appearing back in the cockpit, "Nothing like a good fuck after a near-death experience. I guess you Jedi wouldn't know."

Bastila's face burned red, but she still managed to sputter out an indignant response.

"No, I suppose we would not."

"Speak for yourself, Padawan." Eva huffed.

"You look like you have everything under control, Bastila." Carth said, still looking at Eva, his eyes now narrowed. "We should go check on Mission."

He walked away, before Bastila could say anything, pulling Eva along. When they were alone he pushed her into an empty control room and up against a counter.

"Carth, Mission isn't in here—"

"Why did you lie?"

"And what have I been lying about this time?" Eva asked, eyes narrowed.

"You used the force to push back that bounty hunter, and you did again just now to save Bastila. You can't spin this away this time, Canderous and Bastila saw you too."

Eva hestitated, "I...I didn't know I could do that. After the accident...they said it was impossible...the only reason I'm here is because it's supposed to be impossible."

"So you were a Jedi? Before the accident?"

"Please, Carth." Eva begged. The image alone was enough to snap him out of his anger, as he had never seen her look that way before. "I can't tell you about any of that. If I do it's all over!"

"Alright! Fine…" He backed away and then slid down against the wall beside her. "Force this is a mess."

"Carth…" Eva reached for him as she sat down beside him, taking his hands in hers as she realized he was crying.

"I should be grateful." He murmured. "We'd all still be down there if it wasn't for you. I'm sorry. I'm letting my emotions get the best of me...it's just…"

"Telos." Eva filled in. She pulled herself over, so that she was facing the pilot. "This isn't your fault, Carth. There was nothing we could do to stop them from—"

"I know, I know. But none of that changes the fact that they did it again, and that there's nothing stoping them from doing it again."

They sat together in silence for a few more moments before Eva spoke again.

"I realize when you said we should check on Mission it was just an excuse, but considering she may be feeling some of the same things you are..."

"Shit," Carth sighed. "We should check on her for real."

They stood up, composing themselves as best they could before walking out into main hold.

Mission, Canderous, and even Zaalbar were standing there, watching the holo news in solemn horror.

" _The Galaxy is in shock today as reports have just started pouring on the destruction of the Planet Taris. The city planet, known for being one of the biggest trade hubs in the Outer Rim, was just heavily bombed by the Darth Malak's fleet for reason still unclear..."_

 _"Earlier this month, the Sith fleets had invaded Taris, putting the planet under qurantine and effecting multiple trade routs across the galaxy. Shortly before the bombing, it was reported that the Republic Hammerhead class flag ship, the Endar Spire, was shot down while in orbit. On board was Republic Captain Carth Onasi, the famed pilot and war hero who lost his own planet in a similar Sith attack, as well as Jedi Padawan Bastila Shan, who made headlines last year for her role in the defeat of Darth Revan. With the planets destruction they are being presumed dead."_

 _"This massacre is the third of it's kind in recent history, and planets in nearby systems are already organizing to send aid for any who may have surrvived..."_

Along with the reporter's voice, images of a still burning Taris adorned the screen.

"Mission, you don't need to watch this." Eva said in a low voice, pulling the girl into an embrace.

Carth silently led them to the port dormitory where the three of them hudled together on the nearest bunk.

Mission's face was already stained with tears, the destruction of the planet she had called home and the almost garunteed deaths of everyone she knew had already hit her.

"Everyone is dead." She whispered.

"We don't know that yet, Mission. Someone may have survived." Carth soothed. He and Eva had Mission squished between them.

"But Gadon and Zaerdra...All the Hidden Beks..."

"Listen Mission, I've been through this before. If anyone has a chance of surviving, the gangs in the undercity are at the top of the list."

"What's going to happen now? They think you're dead too!"

"Don't worry about us, Mission. When we reach Dantooine, I'll be able to report in with my superiors and set the record straight."

"How is Grif supposed to find me now?" She burst into tears again.

Eva and Carth spent the night consoling the young girl, and after learning of the missing older brother, they both promised to help Mission find him again when they returned to Coruscant. When the girl finaly drifted off to sleep, Eva pulled her further onto the bed, and Carth tucked the two of them in.

"I should relieve Bastila from the cockpit..." He murmered.

"Will you be ok alone?"

He nodded. "I'll be fine, get some sleep."

Eva nodded in reply, pulling Mission closer as she too began to drift...

Carth watched them for a moment longer. After Telos, he had lost everything. After Taris, he thought the memory of past pains would overwhelm him. Instead, as he watch Eva and Mission huddle together in the bunk all her could feel was the warmth that came with the realization that he was not alone in this life anymore. There were people who he cared about—people who cared about him.

He wasn't alone anymore.


	11. Intermission (Authors Note)

Hello everyone!

(Sorry, sorry…I know this isn't a chapter update, but don't worry—they are coming!)

So funny story, when I posted the first couple of chapters I was 100% completely not expecting anyone to see them. I was thinking maybe a couple people would read it in the future when it's completed (I personally tend to only go looking for fics that are already marked complete so I don't end up disappointed or frustrated in the end, especially with something like Kotor which is now fifteen years old). I started posting the so I could get a feel for chapter length and then BAM! Suddenly I was getting reviews and favorites (which is great but I was totally unprepared for them haha). Truthfully, I don't even have a real title yet, I just put "Eva" in the space so it wouldn't be blank.

Of course since they were already up there and a few people had already read them I decided to just leave them up and keep posting as I finish chunks of the story (and by finish I mean that everything I've posted so far is really more of like a second draft, not quite final draft, so please bear with me and my grammar/spelling mistakes...my iPad can only catch so many of them). When I'm done, I plan on going back and fixing all those annoying little mistakes and maybe even reposting on different platforms (tumblr? Ao3? Idk…)

I convinced myself it would be okay to start writing this fic if I framed it as a sort of self-challenge. I consider myself more of a story-creator than a "writer" (if I was a better artist I would do all my stories as comics or something), but like all "creative" types, my original content was getting bogged down with that whole creative-block thing. I figured that a fic would be a good side project, to keep me creating/writing in the meantime, and it would be easier to finish since the story is pretty much already written.

Anyway, I don't want to bore you guys...basically the point of all this is I wanted to take a sec and ask if there was anything you guys wanted to know more about...like my thought process behind the choices I've made for this fic, or if I can clarify something that may be unclear, or whatever. Like I said, this is very much a work-in-progress, so I'd love to answer any questions or read some feedback...it will be a lot easier writing future chapters if I can make sure there's nothing too confusing or weird right now.

If you guys are interested I'll do an update with like a Q&A thing or something (unless of course no one replies/cares in which case that's cool too I'll just delete this and assume everything is golden lol)

Ok! I'm done now...thanks again for reading and favoriting and adding this fic to your story alerts. Also thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far. I'll be back hopefully soon with an update and then we'll head on over to Dantooine!

~wsarne


	12. Eleven

Eleven

—

 _"Reva? When did you get here?"_

 _Revan's eyes glanced over the edge of the book she was reading. Below her, standing among the old gnarled roots of the tree she was perched in, was a familiar tattooed head._

 _"Heya, Squint." She dropped down from the tree and landed before the young boy, now a teenager whose height now surpassed her own. "You grew!"_

 _"What are you doing on Dantooine?"_

 _"I wanted to visit my favorite Padawan." She reached up to pinch one of the boys cheeks, but he merely waved her off and laughed._

 _"No, really. What are you doing here?"_

 _"I'm learning a new language,_

 _"Another language?"_

 _"It's a big galaxy, Squint. You can never know too many languages."_

 _"They invented basic for a reason, you know...not to mention translator chips—"_

 _"That's too easy." Revan scoffed. "Where I come from, everyone knew at least three languages—you had to if you wanted to trade with any of the off worlders."_

 _"This is a book on dead languages." Alek said, snatching the old tome out of her hands. "Who are you going to trade with in...ancient Selkath?"_

 _"Master Jedi!" A young, dark skinned human boy came running in the courtyard. "Master Nabarrie, you came!"_

 _"There you are, I was beginning to think the Kath hounds got you."_

 _"Who is this?"_

 _"Casus Sandral. He came to the council to ask about the ruins-"_

 _"Nobody knows anything about them." Alek shrugged, uninterested._

 _"Which is what the council told Casus, but I think it's worth investigating further."_

 _"You came all the way from Coruscant for that?"_

 _"You don't think it's interesting that on a farm plan_ et _like this there are ruins with messages clearly written in hundreds of dead languages? Ancient selkath among them?"_

 _"Well, when you put it that way…"_

 _Revan grinned, taking the hand of the child beside her. "Come on Casus, let's see if we can translate the symbols on the rocks you found…"_

—

Dantooine—Day 1

—

Eva opened her eyes. The ship made a soft clanking noise, and that was when she noticed Carth was no longer in sight.

 _Back on Dantooine...where it all started._

"Wake up, Mission." Eva whispered, rubbing the girls head to rouse her. "We're here."

Mission yawned, slowly coming to as Eva untangled herself from the bed.

"What's it like?" Mission asked quietly, her eyes still swollen from her tears.

"Dantooine?" Memories of a planet she had yet to step foot on flooded her mind. "It's very nice here. There's lot of tall grass you can run though, and trees to climb."

Mission smiled weakly, "I've never climbed a tree before. I've never even seen one."

"We'll have to fix that." She tried to smile encouragingly. "You'll like it here, I promise."

—

Bastila tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for Evana and the Twi'lek to appear. She would be lying if she said she didn't feel uncomfortable standing among the Mandalorian, the Wookiee, and the Captain who kept giving her the side eye as she tried to display an aura of command. Aside from Carth, no one seemed to be paying her any attention, and she almost sighed in relief when Evana entered the room and everyone visibly straightened.

"Has the welcoming committee arrived yet?" She asked, giving Bastila a knowing glance that made the young padawan blink in surprise.

"N-no..."

"They will be." Evana sighed, turning to Carth. "Have you contacted the Admiral for reassignment yet?"

"Not yet, I—"

"Technically, the Captain is still under my command—"

"Technically you let your command get blown up."

Bastila was taken back by the Captains outburst of anger, and even more surprised when Evana jumped to her rescue.

"It's not her fault, Carth." She said, placing a hand on his arm, as if to hold him back. "Bastila was just following orders, it was the Sith who attacked the Endar Spire and it was Malak who bombed the planet. Blame him."

"Oh, I do. Believe me." Carth spat, but seemed to settle down under her touch. "I'll contact the Admiral today."

"Good idea." She said, but neither one of them looked happy about it.

"We should be safe from Malak here—" Bastila said aloud, only to be interrupted again, this time by the Mandalorian who was quietly cleaning his weapons on the middle console.

"Until he bombs this planet too." He grunted.

"Even the Sith would think twice before attacking Dantooine. There are many Jedi here, including several of the most powerful Masters of the Order. There is great strength with this place."

"Sounds like a perfect target." Canderous raised an eyebrow. "If Malak was smart…"

"No, Revan was the brains, Malak was just brute force." Carth said.

"Agreed, but Malak is reckless." Canderous added. "Nothing like Revan — she was the greatest warrior our people ever faced."

Bastila scowled. "The point is, we are in no danger here—"

"No danger, as soon as that woman has been neutralized." Master Vrook entered the Ebon Hawk, a tail of Jedi Knights behind him.

"Master Vrook, these guards are unnecessary. She has already been relieved of her weapons!" Eva didn't even look surprised that Bastila had her echani blade and blaster set behind her.

"She doesn't need weapons anymore, as your report informed us. Take her into custody—"

Canderous had already reached for his weapon when the Jedi boarded, but now Carth and the Wookiee were also standing, ready to defend the crew member who brought them all together.

"You'll take her over my dead body." Canderous threatened. Carth had already taken a protective step in front of her. The Knights wore hard faces as they continued to push forward, lightsaber ignited.

"Wait, wait!" Bastila panicked. "This doesn't have to end in violence- I misspoke in my report, I—"

" _ **Stand down**_."

Everyone froze as Evana silently pushed herself forward, her hands clearly displayed in a position of surrender.

"I will go with you."

—

Carth watch in horror as the Jedi cuffed and chained Eva, preparing to drag her away. The final straw was when they snapped a force collar around her neck.

"What is going on?" He shouted, following the Jedi out of the ship.

"I'm sorry Carth, it's just a precaution—" Bastila turned around, hoping to stop the soldier from following them further. "I'll do my best to have her released."

"You knew they would take her away like this! Why did you tell them about the force push? When did you even have time to send a report?"

"It was necessary." She huffed before turning to catch up to Eva and her captors.

"I'm speaking to Dodonna about this!" He called after her.

"Good." Bastila called back, without another glance.

He almost ran into Mission on his way back into the Ebon Hawk.

"What's going on? Why are the Jedi taking Eva? Will she be alright?"

"It's going to be fine, Mission." He grumbled, guiding her back inside. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this."

—

"Come on, Vrook. If Darth Revan wanted you dead, don't you think she would have done it while she was still Darth Revan? Don't be so full of yourself. I came here willingly."

"Somebody gag her!" Vrook shouted, rubbing his temple as an impending headache formed.

'What, chaining me up like this isn't kinky enough? You Jedi all have sexual hangovers, I hope you realize that."

"Only one woman ever dared to speak so irreverently in this temple." Vandar chuckled as he padded into the room. "Padawan Shan, release our guest from her shackles, please."

"But, Master Vandar..." Vrook protested as the Knights stood down and filed out of the room.

"According to Bastila she hasn't done anything deserving of imprisonment."

"She used the force!"

"I read the report, Master Vrook. My statement still stands, unshackle her and we will see what this new development means for our cause."

"It was a fluke. I can't control it." Eva stretched her neck as Bastila removed the force collar, and crossed her arms as the rest of Dantooine's small Jedi council filed in.

"The prodigal knights return." Beamed a pink-skinned Twi'lek man. Both Eva and Bastila smiled when he entered.

"Master Zhar! I wasn't sure you would be here." Bastila said, happily surprised.

"I returned right after you set off to Taris. Welcome back Bastila…and welcome back to you as well, Evana."

"Yes, welcome back to Dantooine." An older, dark-skinned man added.

"Thank you, Master Zhar, Master Dorak... but technically Evana's never been here before." Eva replied.

"But you know who I am, which means Bastila's report is true? You've begun regaining memories?"

"Not the memories you're all hoping for." Eva frowned.

"May I see?" Vandar asked, placing his hand against Eva's head when she nodded and bent down, allowing the Jedi access to her broken memories.

"This last memory...it's from your time here before, on Dantooine." Master Vander mused.

"Perhaps she is gaining memories based on familiar stimulation." Dorak hypothesised aloud.

"Yes, but only after she sustained the second head injury on Taris." Zhar added. "I wonder if her connection to the force is tied to her memories…"

"We knew that this could happen, it's why I still don't approve of any of this." Vrook stated.

"It's presumptuous to say we could know the outcomes of any of this...it's only a guess and we still don't have nearly enough answers yet.

"Revan stayed on Dantooine for over a year. Perhaps with time, she will regain more memories-"

"And a stronger connection to the force."

"How do we proceed? Can we allow a force sensitive Revan back into the galaxy?"

"Can we afford not to? We assumed this could happen, I would argue we _wanted_ this to happen."

"Speak for yourself, Master Dorak."

Master Vander stepped forward. "We all feel the power in Evana, though it is wild and untamed. Now that this power has begun to manifest, we cannot safely ignore it. I propose we let them rest while we discuss this further."

"I'll send word to Belaya to find rooms for all your new lackeys." Vrook sneered before turning to glare at Eva once more. "I don't want you stepping foot outside this enclave until we've decided what will be done with you."

—

Bastila hesitated outside the council chambers, and reached for Eva's arm.

"Evana, I feel I must apologize."

"What for?"

"For panicking and sending Vrook that report. I had no idea he would react in that way, I should have waited-"

Eva frowned, "You did what you were supposed to, don't apologize to me for that."

"You're not…angry with me?"

"Bastila, you were my only friend for almost a year, technically my whole life. I don't have the energy to be mad at you for fearing what everone else does. I know the jedi think they're are taking a risk by letting me have as much freedom as I have. I don't want you to be a casualty of that."

—

 _"Bastila, you need to rest." Grand Master Vandar krept into the hospital room where Revan laid unconscious, chained, and barely alive. Bastila sat in the window sill, watching the Lord of the Sith breath with the aid of several machines._

 _The battle that had almost cost them both their lives had been weeks ago, but for Bastila it felt like it was still ongoing._

 _"I can't sleep, Master Vandar. All I can see are her dreams, her memory of that night over and over again."_

 _Vandar nodded, sadly. "Revana has always had strong thoughts. Even this close to death she overwhelms you. If we are not careful, your choice to save her may cost more than you bargained."_

 _"I didn't realize preserving her would connect us in this way. It frightens me, Master Vandar."_

 _"There is no emotion…"_

 _"There is only peace." Bastil recited._

 _"You must keep strong, Padawan. Meditation will aid you in this. In time, this may prove to be a gift, not a curse."_

—

" _Only time will tell…_ " Thought Bastila as she and Evana went their separate ways.

 _ **There is no emotion, only peace.**_

 _ **There is no ignorance, only knowledge.**_

 _ **There is no passion, only serenity.**_

 _ **There is no chaos, only harmony.**_

 _ **There is no death, only the force…**_

—

Carth watched Mission and Zaalbar swing on the low hanging branches of the large blba tree that sat in the corner of the courtyard behind the trading booths. He had given up trying to get through to Dodonna for now, and watching the kid smile for the first time since they left Taris was a good distraction him from thinking about Eva and whatever cage they had her locked in.

"We could always storm the enclave." Canderous said nonchalantly from the other side of the ramp. He too was waiting for word about Eva, though Carth couldn't guess why.

"You want to storm an enclave, full of Jedi, just the two of us?"

"Well...if you're not up to it…" He shrugged, turning away from the soldier and back to the gun he was tinkering with.

After what seemed like ages, Bastila finally re-emerged from the enclave; and Carth strood to meet her.

"Where's Eva?" He demanded.

"Evana is _fine_. The council is meeting as we speak to decide how to proceed-"

"That doesn't answer the question." Canderous interrupted as he came up behind Carth.

"Master Vrook agreed to remove the restraints and in exchange, Evana has agreed to stay within the confines of the enclave until the Council has made their decision."

"What does that mean? Is Eva in trouble?" Mission asked, as she and Zaalbar also joined the conversation.

"It means, there are rooms for you all inside the temple and Evana is waiting patiently inside of one."

"I'll sleep on the ship." Canderous stated. "I don't trust Jedi."

 _"The only possible thing we could have in common."_ Carth thought.

"Unfortunately I also have to decline a room. I'm having a hard time getting through to Dodonna, but I should stay near the ship's communication system until I do."

"As you wish." Bastila nodded. "The invitation is an open one, should you change your minds. Also, please feel free to use our facilities. The dining hall is always open to the hungry and visitors often find the natural springs relaxing."

"Can we see Eva now?" Mission asked.

"Of course, follow me."

—

Bastila led them all into the enclave where they found Eva sitting alone in the dining hall. Carth didn't even realize the woman they were walking towards was her until she called to them from across the room.

"Oh good, I was getting tired of sitting alone while everyone in this place silently glares at me."

Gone were the mix-matched civilian rags and makeshift body armor. They were replaced with simple blue robes similar to the ones the Jedi who passed by them were sporting. Her hair was also different, the messy bun replaced by the loose waves of freshly combed hair adorned with simple braids to keep it out of her face.

"You've collected quite a loyal group of followers, Evana." Bastila announced as the crew filled in. The look on her face implied she did not approve, but she said no more.

"Are you alright?" Carth asked while Mission launched herself at Eva.

"Yes, I'm fine. Master Vrook is just a little over enthusiastic when it comes to ruining my day."

—

Reunited, the crew of the Ebon Hawk ate supper together before separating again for the night. Bastila was the first to retire.

"The council will not wish to drag this out...whatever decision is made, it will be announced in the morning." Before leaving she turned back to look at the people who had become her temporary companions."This Academy was built to be a place of mental and spiritual healing. I hope it will be that for you while you stay with us."

"She's right." Eva said, also standing. "We should all get some rest. Thank you all for getting us here...and for defending me against Master Vrook and his knights. I don't know what your plans are, Canderous, but If you need work...Bastila told me there is a bounty office in the nearby village."

"I'll check it out." Canderous nodded.

"And Carth...hopefully you're reassigned someplace less likely to blow up."

"And miss all the fun? I didn't become a captain by sitting it out on the sidelines."

"Well in that case I hope you're reassigned to the very heart of the fight."

"So do I, Beautiful. So do I."

Eva smiled, and turned to lead Mission and Zaalbar to their rooms, but Carth stopped her.

"Hey listen," He began. "Whatever happens with the council...I meant what I said, about Coruscant. You and Mission...and Zaalbar...you're all welcome to stay with me, anytime."

"You sure you still have a place?" She smirked.

"Well I've only been dead a day, hopefully they didn't throw all my stuff out just yet.'

She laughed. "Don't leave without saying goodbye, Flyboy."

"I wouldn't dare."

—

Canderous watched Carth watch Eva as she walked away. As he turned to join him back to Ebon Hawk, Canderous took in the love-sick face of the soldier before him and scoffed.

"You and I are a little old to look at something we want with such languish."

"What are you talking about." Carth said, looking up and scowling.

"I've seen the way you look at our fearless leader. And I've seen the way she looks back at you." Canderous huffed. "You should just let her take you already and be done with it."

"Oh, is she your leader now?" Carth asked, ignoring the other thing the Mandalorian said.

Canderous shrugged, "Why not? She is a warrior worthy of followers. I'm curious to see how this will play out."

"Just as long as your curiosity doesn't become a problem."

"You fought in the Mandalorian Wars, didn't you, Carth?" Canderous changed the subject, in an attempt to show the pilot he meant no harm. "We may have faced each other in combat, What battles were you in?"

Carth was not cooperating. "I try not to think about my past battles too much. The horrors of war are something I'd rather not relive."

Canderous frowned, he didn't know how to bond with a person who didn't enjoy war stories. "The horrors of war? My people know only the glory of battle. I'm disappointed in you Carth, I thought you might be a warrior as well."

"I'm not a warrior, I'm a soldier. There's a difference. Warriors attack and conquer, they prey on the weak. Soldier defend and protect the innocent—mostly from warriors."

"Nice speech. I bet you tell yourself that every night so you can sleep. But I accept who and what I am, just as I accept what Eva is. She is no doubt a warrior—would you define her the same as you have defined me?"

"Eva is _nothing_ like you."

"That just goes to show how much you know about me, or your paramour. The Jedi train warriors, and then they hold them back-"

"Eva isn't a Jedi-"

"Don't be naive. There's only one word for force users in my language: jetti, dar'jetti...it's all the same." Canderous continued. "She's already escaped their control. Even now, her mere presence makes the Jedi council tremble; just as we made the republic tremble before we fell."

"Nice speech. I bet you tell yourself that every night so you can sleep." Carth mocked. "I don't want to talk about this anymore, Canderous. The war is over. You lost."

'We did." Canderous agreed, but his voice showed no regret or remorse, and his eyes shone with his memories of glorious battles past.

—

As Carth settled in his portside bunk, he couldn't help but think over Canderous's words.

 _Jetti, Dar'jetti…_

He knew enough Mando'a to know the connotations of those words. Was Canderous insinuating that Eva was no longer or Jedi, or something much worse. Mandalorian's didn't have words to describe if someone was on the lightside or the darkside of the force...like Canderous had said, it was all the same.

 _Jetti, Dar'jetti_

 _Jedi, or not Jedi_

 _ **Jedi, or...Sith?**_

—

Mission hesitated outside her room's door.

"What's wrong Mission?" Eva asked.

"Is it alright if I stay with you. I don't want to be alone"

Eva pulled the young girl into her arms.

"You never have to be alone. Not while I'm here."

They climbed into bed together and when Mission was comfortably settled, she spoke again.

"Why did the Jedi try to lock you up? Are you in trouble?"

Eva took a deep breath. "I did a bad thing, a long time ago...or at least that's what they tell me."

She turned so Mission could see where her skull melded with metal.

"So they're punishing you for something you don't even remember doing? That's not fair!"

"Some people think letting me go unpunished is unfair to the people I've hurt; and I've hurt a lot of people."

"But that wasn't you! You can't even remember that stuff. You're a different person now."

"That's what I like to think, but the council is afraid that if I regain those memories, I could become her again."

"Are you afraid?"

"Terrified. I've only been me for little over a year but I'm quite attached." She smiled, trying to put herself at ease.

"Well I don't care who you were before." Mission declared, snuggling closer. "You're my friend, and I wouldn't even be alive it wasn't for you. I'm on your side no matter what."

—

—

—

"We should have killed her when we had the chance." Master Vrook grumbled, while Master Zhar placed a hand on his shoulder.

"That is not our way, Master Vrook; and besides, too much is riding on this. We can't just end the mission."

"More an experiment than a mission." Vrook mumbled.

"Perhaps, but what choice do we have? The galaxy is desperate." Master Dorak added

"What is curious to me is, why did she come back at all? If what Bastila reported is true, she could have run. Instead she rescued Bastila and then returned to us of her own free will." Zhar questioned.

"Let's examine our options: a force collar could keep her subdued, but if the key to her memories really is her connection to the force…" Dorak began but Zhar finished the thought.

"We need to train her. If we send her out again without the skills to control herself-"

"I'm much more concerned about what will happen if she can control herself." Vrook interrupted.

"And what of her companions? A Mandalorian? A Wookiee? A child?" Dorak listed, "The little girl seems quite attached...as does the Captain. Should we be worried?"

Through the debate, Master Vandar remained silent, but at this he spoke: "Revan's greatest gift has always been her ability to form connections. But bonds like these work both ways. These people she has collected, all of them have been touched by her war in someway...perhaps they can guide her to make better choices going forward…"


	13. Twelve

Twelve.

—

 _"Hurry up, Squint." Revan hiked up the path to the ruins. "It isn't much further."_

 _Alek huffed a few paces behind her. "Remind me why I have to join you on this archeological dig instead of your assistant?"_

 _"The Sandal's and the Matale's are at each other's throats again. Casus's father won't let him leave the estate." She dropped herself into a partially excavated tunnel. "Anyway, I found something pretty extraordinary. I wanted you to see what I've been doing out here this past year."_

 _The tunnel led them to a cave, where a temple-like structure sat, undisturbed and still mostly intact._

 _"Woah…" Alek whispered, standing up once he was out of the tunnel. "Master Zhar is not going to believe this."_

 _"You can't tell him. You can't tell anyone. I'm only showing you because I want to open it up and I need an extra person to stand by incase it collapses while I'm in there."_

 _"Why don't you want anyone to know you actually found something?" Alek raised an eyebrow. "You know the masters think you've been wasting time out here to run away from your responsibilities…"_

 _"What responsibilities?"_

 _"I don't know." The teenager shrugged. "You don't have a padawan yet..and I might have overheard Master Kavar mention you turned down a spot on the Council before he left."_

 _"Maybe I should let your Master know what a little eavesdropper you are." Revan muttered. She approached the structure, placing a hand on the sealed archway, before turning back to her young friend._

 _"Are you coming?"_

—

DANTOOINE—Day 2

—

" _Captain Onasi?_ "

Dodonna looked surprised, when her face finally appeared over the comm. "We thought for sure there were no survivors."

"For the most part, there aren't." He scowled. "I'm only one of three left from the Endar Spire's crew."

"Where are you now?"

"Dantooine, Ma'am. Bastila insisted we set course for the Enclave there."

"So Bastila is alive as well, what a relief. Who was the third?"

"The woman who came with the Jedi, Evana."

"Of course, I should have known she would survive. Where is she now?"

"She's in Jedi custody."

"As she should be, I'm sure."

Carth just about had enough. "Ma'am, permission to be blunt?"

"Granted."

"What the hell is going on here? Why send a woman with no memory out into the field to begin with, and why is everyone treating her like she's a criminal? She's been nothing but compliant. In fact, there would have been zero survivors if not for her actions."

"Be careful what you ask for, Captain. The truth is not always...kind. All you need to know is that she is a dangerous woman, one who may or may not hold the answers needed to end this war. If she kept you and Bastila alive, it was only to make sure she made it out alive, herself. You would do well to avoid her until we can find you a replacement command."

"About that, Admiral…"

 _Heart of the fight…_

"I don't know what's going on, but if what you and Bastila say is correct then...this mission, whatever it is, might actually make a difference. If it's possible, I'd like to stay and see this mission through."

"Always full of surprises, Captain." Dodonna smirked, though it came out more like a sneer. "Normally I'd be inclined to deny that request, but if Taris has taught me anything, it's that we need to be more discreet. With the rest of the galaxy still thinking you and Bastila are dead, you may be the best man for the job."

She stood straighter as she continued. "You'll report directly to me. I want to be kept informed of any and all new developments. I'll leave it to you to inform the council of my decision. "

"Yes Ma'am."

"And Captain?"

"Yes, Admiral?"

"Don't be fooled. There will come a day, when the Jedi's control over her is no longer sufficient. When that days comes, I am trusting you to take Evana out of the picture."

—

 _"Take her out?_ " Carth thought as he wandered into the enclave in search of the dining hall. " _What exactly does Dodonna mean?"_

 _She wants you to be her spy and executioner, but she still won't tell you the actual details of the mission…_

 _What had he got himself into…_

 _What had Eva got herself into?_

As though his thoughts had conjured her, he found Eva sitting alone at a table. He was once again struck by the difference he saw in her since leaving Taris—she sat with defeated posture, eyes closed, and she had barely touched her food.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." He said by way of greeting as she sat across from her. She looked up, her expression blank as he examined her. "Are...are you sure you're okay here? You know the Mandalorian has already expressed an interest in breaking you out of here, should I tell him it's a go?"

That got a smile.

"If I really wanted to I could probably just walk out the front door. It's mostly just aprentices here."

"Then what has you looking so troubled?"

"I had another dream. A memory," She specified. "I'm wondering if I should mention it to the Council, or if it even matters."

"I'm guessing that means you haven't heard from them yet." Carth mused, "Any idea when they'll be available?"

She shook her head, and began to pick at her plate of food. 'I'm waiting to be summoned. Or for Bastila to show up. You haven't seen her yet, have you?"

"No," he shook his head. "You know, for someone who was brought here in chains, you're surprisingly calm."

"I guess I'm just used to waiting for the council to make up their damn minds…" She muttered.

Carth sighed. "I know you asked me not to ask about...whatever it is that's going on...but if you need—"

Eva shook her head, interrupted him.

"This is nothing I'm not used to...nothing I don't deserve-"

"Evana, it's time." Bastila entered the room. "Oh, Captain Onasi. Good Morning."

"You know, Bastila, you can just call me Carth."

"If that is what you prefer. Now if you'll excuse us." Bastila grabbed Eva by the arm and pulled her away, leaving Carth alone with his thoughts once more.

—

In the council chambers, the Masters wasted no time in beginning as Eva and Bastila entered and the doors closed.

"Bastila has spoken to us about a dream you two shared. One of Revan's memories here on Dantooine." Master Vandar began.

"The ruins here have long been known to us," Master Dorak continued, "We believed them to be merely burial mounds, yet this memory implies Revan and Malak found something more."

"You had the same dream?" Eva asked, turning to Bastila. Bastila nodded. "I woke up before I could see what was inside."

"As did I," Bastila added.

"I will send someone to investigate the ruins." Vandar said. "Hopefully something useful will be recovered...in the meantime, the council has reached a decision regarding Evana's reconnection to the force."

"The mission is too important to stop, especially now that we are finally seeing results." Dorak stated.

"We've decided to retrain you in the ways of the Jedi," Zhar stepped forward, "so that you may be prepared for the challenges ahead."

"You want to train me?" Eva asked, incredulously. "Seriously?"

"We should begin at once." Master Zhar replied. "The entire fate of the galaxy is resting on your shoulders."

Master Vrook was last to speak, "I can only hope you will prove up to the task…"

—

After the council dismissed them, Eva and Bastila returned to the dining hall where they were met by the friendly faces of their crew.

"That didn't take long," Carth greeted them. "We were just about to finish up...well all of us who aren't Zaalbar, that is."

The Wookiee made a chuffing sound, like a laugh.

"What did they say? They're not going to lock you up again, are they?" Mission asked.

"No," Eva smiled. "The opposite, kind of. The reappearance of my force sensitivity after the memory loss incident was unexpected, but now that it's here, they want to retrain me."

"It will take sometime," Bastila began. "It takes years to master the basics, but then again, Eva has always been a quick study...especially when it comes to the things she already knew before her accident."

"Take your time, we'll all be here when it's time to go." Canderous said, much to everyone's surprise.

"You don't even know what the mission will be." Bastila told him.

Canderous only shrugged, "Doesn't matter. It's been a long time since I've seen anyone fight the way she does. There's bound to be more battles ahead and I want in."

"You'll have me too," Carth added. "I spoke to Dodonna and turns out the heart of the fight is right here."

 _You have no idea.._

"She's letting you stay?" Eva couldn't help but smile.

Carth nodded in return. "This time I report directly to her."

"So you got a promotion," Eva grinned. "That's pretty good for a dead man."

"Says the woman who doesn't exist."

—

Now that the council had made their decision, Eva was free to follow Carth back to the Ebon Hawk to retrieve her personal items.

"Are you going to take a room in the enclave?" She asked, waving hello to T3 who was busy making sure the ship was in good repair.

"Not yet." Carth replied. "I'm waiting on some reports to come in. It's just easier if I stay on board."

Eva nodded, "Are you and Canderous getting along?"

"Well enough," He grunted. "He keeps trying to tell me war stories though."

"Aw, he wants to bond with you. You should humor him."

"You know, If someone had told me seven years ago that I would someday be bunk mates with a Mandalorian, I would have thought they were high on spice."

"It's funny how the universe throws that kind of stuff at you."

"Speaking of…"He leaned in close. "If someone had told me that someday the fate of galaxy would be decided by one amnesiatic Jedi…"

Eva narrowed her eyes and pulled away, "I'm not a Jedi."

"But you were a Jedi."

"I was a lot of things before. I'm not any of them now. Now, I'm just Eva."

"You know, for someone who loves to pry into everybody else's business…"

"I told you, it's need to know."

"Yeah, but that was before the promotion." He said it teasingly, but Eva didn't smile.

"Maybe you should rethink staying." She whipped around, storming out of the ship before he could push any further.

—

DANTOOINE—DAY 7

—

The Jedi never told her anything new.

"Meditation will teach you to channel the power of the Force. To truly understand the way of the Jedi, you must open your mind to knowledge. Seek wisdom in the teachings of the great Masters of our Order" That's what Master Zhar had said on day one, and now here she was, several days later and the bulk of her retraining was still just meditation.

She meditated with Bastila in the morning. She meditated with the other intiates during the day. Even at night she meditated, alone and free of the distractions that came with other people's thoughts and emotions.

Meditation was supposed to help Jedi control those things, but the students in the enclave were all young, and inexperienced. Emotions slammed into her whenever she entered a room. Sometimes curiosity. Mostly it was fear.

Dodonna had made it clear that her identity was to remain classified; but in the temple, it was hard to keep secrets like that. These not-yet-padawans knew exactly who she was, and her presence had them all on edge.

At least with Jedi the gossip would stay in thier heads.

She hated to think what her companions would think of her if they learned the truth.

—

DANTOOINE—DAY 8

—

She moved the rock with her mind.

It was just a small pebble, but she had done it—on her own, and on purpose. Mission was the first one who got to witness it as they sat on her bed together.

Since arriving, Mission and Zaalbar had fully taken advantage of the change of scenery and all the temple had to offer. They often spent their days exploring the grasslands, and then in the evening they would tell Eva about what they saw. Occasionally Mission would bring her back a plant or flower that she had never seen before, amazed by the amount of botanical life and the sun—a stark difference to the underground city she had been living in before.

Canderous had heard of some good hunting grounds, and was killing time and sharpening his skills by thinning herds of Kath hounds for profit. And Carth…well she had seen very little of Carth since her training had begun.

Aside from the time she made for Mission, Bastila was the only one she saw on a regular basis. The Padawan had decided to take on a mentoring role, and Eva humored her for now. Bastila was more than eager to help Evana in her training, in any way, whether it be dueling, or simple mediation. Every morning they got up at the crack of dawn and meditated as the sun rose. Then they would eat breakfast, with the rest of the academy in the dining hall. After breakfast they dueled with practice blades, just to keep eachother sharp. Then Master Zhar would take her and the other apprentices to a grove or a classroom and she would practice moving objects with the force, or Master Dorak would come and teach them the history of the order. After lunch they meditated some more, usually until dinner, and then she would return to her room, where Mission was often waiting to tell her about her day.

Mission was the only reason she knew anything of her other companions comings and goings. She wanted so badly to join Mission on one of her tours of the local villages and wilds, or to join Canderous on a hunt, or even just to see her a certain pilot…

—

DANTOOINE—DAY 11

—

"Alek was my padwan,"Master Zhar began. "But I taught you both. I remember on Coruscant, your quest for knowledge was insatiable. Not at first, but once you were committed it was clear that you were the most promising of any of the padawans. Master Kae was very smug about that."

He laughed sadly before continuing. "Alek wanted to be just like you. My teachings never moved fast enough for him, he was always trying to catch up, to match you."

For Master Zhar, Eva's presence was many things;

a reunion with an old friend,

a reminder of his failings as a master,

a chance to do better.

For Eva, Zhar was the master who knew the most about her past life and the friend-turned-sith-lord she might one day face again.

 _No...that's what they're training Bastila for. they won't want me anywhere near that fight..._

Though she couldn't yet remember, he had known her since she first came to the temple on Coruscnat as a child. Their private lessons together often ended in deep discussions about what might have happened to create the Revan and Malak the rest of the galaxy knew and feared.

"When The Mandalorians threat first arose, the Council felt that there was a greater threat that had not yet revealed itself, so we wanted to proceed with caution. Perhaps we were wrong, or perhaps not. Revan and Malak did fall after the war, after all. There is a lesson in that, a lesson you would do well to take to heart: The dark side can corrupt even the most noble of Jedi."

"So you think what Revan and Malak did was noble?"

"I think they left the Order with good intentions, but their rashness led them, and their many followers down a a dark path. I do not know what happened to them on the farthest reaches of the Outer Rim, but something corrupted them."

Eva nodded, "How do I stop myself from following that path again?"

Zhar hesitated, thinking over his words carefully, "Maybe you don't...if it weren't necessary I would tell you to start over. Forget the force, forget your past. Settle down with the captain and live your life in peace."

"Master Zhar!" Eva protested, laughing.

"You're no better at hiding your feelings than any of the other intiates here." He laughed. "I think he's a good influence, but Vrook...well you know master Vrook."

"He thinks I'm going to fail no matter what."

"He still mourns for the padawans that were lost in Revan's war...but there is little choice in this matter, for you or for us. Across the galaxy the numbers of our Order dwindle. The Sith hunt the Jedi down like animals, ambushing and assassinating their own brothers and sisters wherever they are found."

—

DANTOOINE—DAY 14

—

"Mission, you're up early. So are you, Zaalbar."

Eva and Bastila walked into the dining hall to see the majority of their crew waiting forthem. Mission, Zaalbar, Canderous, and Carth were sitting at a table, trays of food already in front of them. Zaalbar growled a greeting, but her eyes remained on Carth.

"Tell everyone how you're training is going!" Mission urged. Eva looked at Mission with pride, the skinny girl from Taris was slowly thickening up thanks to the food on Dantooine, and the malnourished Wookiee now had a gleaming coat of fur.

"It's going good. I can move rocks with my mind now." Eva laughed.

"Be serious," Bastila beamed, "She's already exceeded everyone's expectations."

Now that the pressure of being in command had been lifted off the padawan's shoulders, she was much more relaxed.

"That's only because no one was expecting me to actually improve," She laughed. Under the table, Carth's hand brushed hers, and she turned to him.

"Next time I pull some 'jedi-shit' on you it'll actually be on purpose."

"And that is exactly why no one trusts the Jedi." He grumbled

Eva only grinned, and turned her attention to Canderous, "How is your hunting going? Has Dantooine run out of Kath hounds yet?"

"No, but I've moved on to Kinrath."

"Maybe on of these days they'll let me beyond the courtyard and I can join you in a hunt."

"You honor me," The Mandalorian nodded.

"So, what comes after moving rocks with your mind?" Carth asked.

"Evana's preformed nearly every skill an intiate is expected to know...Most of those things we tested or retaught while we were still on Coruscant. Her knowedge of languages, her skill with a blade...and now the basic of the three aspects of the force. A decades worth of work relearned as though it had never been lost. All that's left is the Initiate trials…"

"Well that's good, isn't it?" Carth asked, not understanding the hesitation in Bastila's voice.

"Yes but, the trials require the builidng of a lightsaber, and Master Vrook is rather insistant that Eva is not allowed such a weapon."

"I don't need a fancy crystal sword to wreak havoc." Eva muttered. "I don't even need to retake the trails. They should send us off now."

"We still don't know where to go yet...unless you've remembered somthing else?"

"You would know, wouldn't you?"

"That remains to be seen."

They ate their food quickly, and then Bastil dragged her away.

"We have training to do, come along." She said, as Eva made to protest. Eva grumbled, but followed the Padawan after a brief longing glance back at her table of friends.

—

Carth narrowed his eyes as they walked away. His last conversation with Eva had put him in a weird place, and he hadn't seen much of her since. Now she was about to become a fully fledged Jedi...with or without a lightsaber. He hadn't doubted when Dodnna had said she was dangerous, it still remained to be seen if she was dangerous for him.

He still wasn't sure what it was about her memories that meant so much for the fate of the galaxy, but he was sure that it was dangerous not letting him know what they were all getting themselves into.

Bastila had said she had relearned a decades worth of skill...how long would it be before she was back to her full strength? How long before whatever Dodonna and the Jedi had started became too much...how long before he would be expected to pull the trigger?

—

"The lightsaber is the traditional weapon of our order. It is a symbol of a Jedi's skill, dedication and authority." Master Zhar began. "There are three trials one must complete before they are officially intiated into the Order. The code you just recited to me was the first. To pass this second trial you must construct your own lightsaber."

Master Dorak stepped forward. "But first, a lesson: A jedi is not restricted to a single color—each color is meant to be a badge of pride for the Jedi path it signifies. The Sith have traditionally chosen red to signifiy thier passion. Those who leave the order often find orange crystals to signify thier independence or grey for nuetrality. Most Jedi choose yellow, green, or blue to signify their chosen paths as Sentinels, Consulars, or Gaurdians."

"What color did I choose before?" Eva asked, examining the three crystals before her.

Zhar chuckled. "Revan was always a mystery. At first we thought she would choose blue. The Gaurdians represent the Order in matters of justice, and you have always been a strong fighter. Then we thought, perhaps she would choose green. Consulars have a higher afinity for using the force and are always seeking out knowledge. Your quest for information was insatiable. At one point you were even offered a position on the council as keeper of the archives...but knowledge of the force was not all you sought. You also cultivated skills outside the force, as is common for Sentinels."

"So I choose yellow?"

"You chose to remain a mystery. You and Master Kae returned from the Colonies one day with a purple crystal. That color is very rare, and you never revealed where you found it."

—

DANTOOINE—DAY 15

—

The hilt of her lightsaber brushed against her thigh as she walked. Like many padawans who had yet to chose a path, the crystal inside it was clear.

"Ah, there you are, Evana." Master Vandar said, drawing the attention of the room to her. "We have thought long and hard about what your third trial should be. There are many things that need doing, especially after Master Quatra's injury."

"A master was injured? Did I know them?"

"Doubtful." Master Zhar answered. "Master Quatra is one of the older masters. She served at the temple on Tython for many years before transfering here to Dantooine. Her padawan had a violent outburst and greatly injured her, shortly before you arrived. Quatra left to recover on Coruscant and is thankfully in better health now."

"She has yet to return though," Vrook added. "Which has left us spread quite thin."

"What happened to her padawan?" Eva asked.

"It was news of Taris that set her off," Master Dorak said. "We thought it best to allow Juhani to heal and return to us in her own time, but I'm afraid her anger has only increased."

"She must be dealt with. Her hate seeps into the heart of Dantooine, and it's begining to affect the wildlife."

Eva nodded. Everyone had heard about the crazed kath hounds that were terrozing the Sandral farm grounds, but this was the first she heard of a cause.

 _"What would you have me do?"_


	14. Thirteen

Thirteen

—

 _"Cleanse the grove."_

Like always, the council left their orders open ended. How she dealt with this task was up to her, and she would be offered no further guidance. If she was annoyed, she didn't show it; rather the opportunity to leave the enclave for the first time since arriving on Dantooine had her feeling optimistic.

The grasslands and surrounding gardens that adorned the enclave were beautiful, and many locals took advantage of the valley as a place to gather. Eva hardly took notice of the groups gathered now, until she grew closer.

 _"You unfeeling monster! The Republic should have wiped out the lot of you!"_

On the far end of the courtyard stood a mob of settlers, and at their center, Eva was shocked to see Canderous standing above them, while the loudest of the settlers poked him like a bear in a cage.

"Do you think you're the only person in the galaxy to suffer? The only one to experience loss?" Canderous glowered. His eyes were hard, and his hands clamped around his weapon as the leader of the mob continued to push at him.

 _"They killed my daughter!"_

"Then _you_ should have _protected her better!_ "

Eva pushed her way through, placing a hand on the old Mandalorian's chest. For the first time since she had met him, his body trembled with emotion instead of cold inference or sardonic mirth.

"You would be wise to step away, sir." Eva warned, her voice authoritative and low as she placed herself between Canderous and the mob.

" _Jedi_." The settler spat, giving her his complete attention. "How long will you people continue to sit by and claim you protect us?"

"From my position, stopping you from angering this man further _is_ protecting you."

"Your position? You Jedi sit safely in the enclave while the rest of use suffer at the hands of the Mandalorians! They raid our villages, steal our crops, murder our children—"

"Mandalorians do not suffer children." Canderous said, clearly insulted.

 _"Tell that to my daughter you beast—!"_

"Enough!" Eva held her ground between the two men. "I cannot speak for the council, but I will personally look into these raiders."

"I'll believe that when I see it." The man grumbled, but the crowd dispersed—leaving only her and Canderous.

—

"Are you alright?"

"Those settlers were no threat to me." Canderous replied, slightly taken aback.

"Clearly," Eva scoffed. "But that wasn't why I was asking."

Canderous paused, "In that case, you should ask the settlers."

"Their grief was strong," Eva nodded, "But so is yours."

"Is it?" Canderous huffed. "I guess the Jedi training is paying off."

"I don't need to be a Jedi to see that that man stirred somthing in you."

He chuckled, sadly and turned away from her gaze, "You must think me unkind; but my words were not meant out of spite or contempt. A father who cannot protect his daughter…"

Canderous turned back to look at her, his eyes glistening, "...is no good to her."

Eva made the connection, "You had a daughter."

"It was a long time ago. The Jedi took her before she could know me."

As they talked, the pair had begun walking towards the grasslands, but this made Eva stop in her tracks.

"They _took_...Jedi aren't permitted to kidnap children. Not even force sensitive ones. There are laws—"

"Laws for Republic citizens in Republic space." Canderous stopped as well. "Even if there was, we see family ties differently. She was not of my bui'stad."

"Gar taldin ni jaonyc." Eva rectied the mandalorian phrase. _Family is more than blood._

"Exactly." Canderous nodded, pleased at her understanding. "But the Jedi who took her didn't see it that way...it didn't matter to her that we said the Gai bal Manda—Parentage would have been my greatest honor, but losing her will always be my greatest shame."

"I'm sorry, Canderous." Eva said, placing a hand on the old man's shoulder. "I know what fatherhood means to the Mandalorians…"

He sighed, composing himself before continuing, "I know I surprised the others with my decision to stick around. This was supposed to be a narudar, a temporary alliance, but you intrigued me. I realize now it's because in you I see the woman my daughter may have become. As long as you'll have me, I will follow. I want to be Ver'buir to someone who is worthy for once."

"I'm honored, Canderous; and glad to have you." She said seriously, and began moving forward again. "We can look for her, if you want. A Jedi from Mandalorian space is pretty rare, I would know."

"No. She is gone, only time will tell if she returns." He said, almost to himself. "Oya. Enough. It's been too long since you've left that enclave. Tell me, what chores have the Jedi given you?"

"It's the last of my initiate trials before I rejoin the order." Eva explained. "There's a rogue padawan living in a grove. I'm supposed to deal with it."

"Rogue, eh?"

"She struck down her master...apparently it happened just before we arrived."

"Perhaps this padawan will prove to be a worthy foe…" Canderous mused. Eva didn't reply, only smiled coyishly as she retook the lead, but Canderous caught it.

"Yeah?" He smirked, "What do you want?"

"I'm wondering what my Ver'buir has to teach me about worthy foes." Eva replied, eyebrow raised. Canderous broke into a grin. _Finally_. Someone who understood him.

"You want to hear tales of my exploits? Of the wars I've seen and fought, the enemies I've seen die by my hand? Heh, I'll humor you. I've been fighting across the galaxy for 40 years..."

He broke into a tale of his exploits, entertaining her with stories from his youth as they scaled the plateaus in search of the grove Juhani had last been seen at.

"For our people it's the honor and glory of battle that rules us. It's through combat that we prove our worth, gain renown and make our fortunes." He continued as they encountered the last hill. "In the last war, the Sith came to us with an offer: to fight a worthy enemy in a battle that would be remembered forever. We all knew the Jedi were out of control, so Mandalore accepted that offer."

"The Sith?" Eva paused, trying to rack her brain for any mention of Sith in the public records she was taught after the accident. "There were no Sith until Revan and Malak returned from the unknown space…not since Exar Kun."

"That's what the Republic chooses to believe, but we Mandalorian's know the Sith have always been around, in the shadows." He spat, "Dar'jetti."

Eva continued to think in silence so Canderous continued, "They manipulate from the shadows, practising their religion on the edge of the galaxy...we don't pay them much attention, but occasionally one will come with a worthy offer."

" _An offer…_ " She whispered to herself, trying to remember something... but Canderous was too caught up in his speech to notice her musings

"Win or lose, as long as the fight is worthy, then honor is gained. If there's nothing at stake – your possessions, your life, your world – then the battle's meaningless. We Mandalorians take everything we are and throw it into battle. It's the true test of yourself – the battle against death… against oblivion."

He finished as they reached the flat land on the top of the plateau they had been climbing. Eva couldn't help but smile at the old man, who beamed with energy despite the long climb.

"You're so full of passion for your clan...mercenary work must have been awful for you."

Canderous smiled sadly again, offering his hand to pull her up the last bit of the way.

"The clans as they are aren't a threat, but the galaxy still fears us. We only wanted the challenge of the battle, and glory from it – win or lose. And we lost. But now I have no real challenges. When I think of the battles I've fought… the thousands I've killed… the worlds I've burned… I weep for my past."

Eva didn't have a chance to respond, because as soon as they were both firmly on solid ground they were ascended upon by a pack of wild Kath hounds. The largest of which was adorned with white fur and bloodshot eyes that glowed with burning hatred. As it led the charge, it's large curved horns aimed at their hearts. Eva barely had time to ignite her apprentice lightsaber. The double blades enveloped them in a white light before she made her first strike.

While she danced around the hounds with her lightsaber, Canderous made use of his modified repeating blaster.

"These hounds...are different...than the ones I...hunted...before." Canderous grunted between shots.

"It's Juhani," Eva called back. "She's affecting them somehow."

"This is why no one likes Jedi...you can't just keep your problems to yourself...gotta go fuck up the ecosystem…" Canderous muttered as he fiddled with some settings on his blaster before sending out a sonic boom that knocked out all the Kath hounds around them.

Eva jumped back in shock when the albino collapsed in front of her, but when she looked back at Canderous he simply shrugged.

 _"Why didn't you do that to begin with?"_

He smirked, "Where's the fun in that?"

—

The grove was a small structure, made of dark stone like all the other ruins they passed. So taken by the structure were they, that they completely missed the young Cathar girl meditating there until it was too late.

From the shadows she sprung out, blue lightsaber already ignited as she sent a force wave that sent Eva and Canderous flying.

Eva recovered quickly, rolling in the soft grass behind her, but Canderous had been flung over the side of the plateau—not that she had time to worry about her companion, as Juhani was on her before she had even regained her footing.

" _I will be your doom!_ " The Cathar shouted, her lightsaber attacking fast and relentless, but sloppy.

Eva met her blow for blow, ignoring the messy openings as she tried to decide how to proceed.

"If this is what Quatra taught you, then maybe it's best she's no longer teaching students." She said, getting annoyed with the girl's attack. With a quick maneuver, Eva disarmed the girl and with the force she suspended her in the air for a long moment before releasing her grip and allowing the girl to slam on the grassy floor.

"Are you done?" Eva asked, scowling.

Juhani was visibly shocked. "You…you are strong. Stronger than me, even in my darkness."

She pulled herself off the floor, nursing her wounded arm.

"Darkness, huh? Is that what you call it?"

"Do not mock me!" Juhani's voice was full of emotion. "This is _my_ grove, _my_ place of dark power and _you_ have invaded it—!"

"Hey Candy, you okay?" Eva had already turned her back to the girl to look over the cliff where Canderous was lying flat on his back not too far below.

"Peachy." He called back. "You kill the Cathar already?"

"No, she's talking."

"Better to get it over with."

"She's just a kid."

"Padawans don't count as children. I killed a hundred men when I was that age."

"A hundred, really?"

"Well, not all at once…" Canderous grumbled, he still made no moves to get up. "Fine, finish your talk. I need a minute anyway…"

Eva turned back to face the young Cathar who was now watching her in shock.

" _You_...I know that voice! _I know that face!_ How could I have been so foolish, to attack one such as _you_ …"

Now it was Eva's turn to be shocked. "I'm sorry, have we met?"

"They said you were gone, but there rumors… _Master Revan_ —" The Cathar made to bow but Eva rushed to stop her.

" _Woah, wait. Shhh!_ Don't do that!" She exclaimed in hushed tones. "You recognize my face?"

"My name is Juhani, you rescued me as a child— _you_ are the reason I am here! Please, _Master Revan_...I cannot return to the Jedi. Perhaps...perhaps I can serve you instead—"

" _Stop_." She commanded in a harsh whisper. "Revan is dead. Do not ever call me by that name again."

"Forgive me, Master. I understand why the council has kept this a secret...but if you are truly alive, than Bastila must—"

"Yes, yes, Bastila knows; but as far as anyone else is concerned, my name is Eva and Eva does not have _followers_ —"

"How's it going up there?" Canderous called from below.

Juhani raised an eyebrow, "Who is he?"

"That's just Canderous...he's a Mandalorian who _followed_ me from…"

Eva narrowed her eyes, turning away again to help Canderous climb back up the cliff before speaking again.

"What's the deal with you and this grove anyway?"

"When I embraced the darkside, this is where I sought my solace."

"You embraced darkness ten minutes from the enclave?" Canderous asked, eyebrow raised.

"This was the only place I could go!" Juhani defended herself, "When I slew my Master, I knew I could never go back. And now I revel in my dark power."

"What did your master do to piss you off so much?" Canderous asked, his tone much softer.

"She didn't do anything. I was upset…consumed by anger. She wanted me to overcome it, but how could I?" Juhani's head was bent. "In my anger...I struck her down. I didn't mean...but it doesn't matter. I accept that I am no longer fit to be a Jedi."

She sighed, returning to her meditation spot, "What is it you want? Why do you bother me?"

"I'm here to cleanse the grove." Eva said, shrugging.

"So they sent you here to kill me. How fitting when my life has always belonged to you...Why then, when you hav bested me so easily, do you not simply finish your task?"

"Why do you think I'm going to kill you?" Eva asked, sitting beside the girl. Canderous kept a respectful distance while the two women meditated together. "Maybe I just want to talk."

"You…want to talk?" Juhani palmed her head in her hands and groaned, "I am pathetic. I sit here and think myself to be great by embracing the dark side, but I am nothing. You are wasting your time trying to turn me back to the light. I'm not worth it, not even the Jedi think so..why else would they send you, of all people to deal with me."

Eva frowned. "Clearly I saw potential if I brought you here, and I'm willing to bet that you could still make a good Jedi."

"How can the Council ever take me back with what I have done? I killed my Master!"

"Why does Revan, conquerer of the galaxy, get redemption, but Juhani slayer of one does not?" Eva asked, "Besides, Quatra isn't dead."

"She's not?" Juahni's head sprung up in shock.

"She returned to Coruscant, just like you should return to the enclave."

They sat in silence, watching as the sun set and the wild life began to wake up.

"You didn't kill my Kath hounds?" Juhani asked, happily surprised as the large animals began grazing, all signs of hostility gone now that Juhani no longer felt threatned. She jumped up calling the closest one to her so that she could stroke it's fur.

Eva stood and followed, Canderous falling into line behind her. "It's time to go home, Juhani."

She stretched out a hand, watching as the uncertanty and fear in the girl's eyes disapeared until finally she accpted.

—

Together they returned to the Jedi Enclave and presented themselves to the Counsil. They spoke to Juhani alone, for a long time. When the Council finally called her in, Juhani was gone. Master Zhar spoke first.

"You have done well, my pupil. The ancient grove has been purified, and Juhani's journey down the dark path has been halted. Because of you she walks once more in the light."

Master Vrook continued, "But though she was saved, do not dismiss what happened to her. Juhani is both dedicated and true to the ideals of the Order, yet she was still vulnerable to the dark side."

"As are well all." Master Vandar agreed.

"She struck her master in anger during training, and injured her greatly. But it was Quatra's choice to test Juhani this way, and it seems to have made its point. Juhani has been redeemed, and you have passed your finals test." Zhar finished.

"Welcome back to the order."

—

It was late by the time she had finally been dismissed with orders to return first thing in the morning. She was surprised Mission wasn't waiting for her in her room, but she supposed the girl had fallen asleep already. She decided she should do the same. As she stripped down to her underclothes, she heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," She reached for her robe, expecting the open door to reveal a certain blue child, but it wasn't Mission who slid her door open. Instead Eva's eyes met those of Captain Carth Onasi.

—

"Oh, I thought you were Mission."

Carth cleared his throat, taking in the modest yet cozy sleeping arrangements that the enclave provided for its tenants.

"Ah, I, uh, hope you're not disappointed."

"Not at all," Eva's face broke into a grin. "More like pleasantly surprised. Of all my organic companions I think I've seen you the least since we landed."

He came inside, shutting the door behind him, but remained close to the exit.

"What about Canderous? He hasn't really been hanging around the enclave."

"We actually just spent the day together." She smiled, sitting back on the bed.

"Really?" Carth asked, surprised.

"Yeah, he...kind of reminds me of someone…" She shook her head, unable to place the memory. "Sorry, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh, you know, just—wait, they gave you a lightsaber?"

Eva picked up the shiney hilt that was sitting on her dresser and handed it to him as he walked closer. "I built it yesterday."

He turned the hilt around in his hands, careful not to accidently ignite it. "Did you choose a color yet?"

"I haven't." She laid back, staring at the ceiling. "I'm still deciding."

"You had to have had one of these before though. This is a double-blade, right? Were you yellow before, like Bastila?"

Eva grimaced, "No I was not yellow. I didn't fit into any of the regular Jedi factions, so waited until I found something that suited me."

"Oh? And what was that?"

"Purple."

"They come in purple? Why don't you just pick that then?"

"Purple crystals are incredibly hard to find. The texts describe them as symbols of mystery, because they're hardly ever found and no one knows enough about them."

Carth huffed. "Well...that's appropriate." He fiddled with the hilt a little longer before asking, "So how does this thing work if it doesn't have a crystal?"

"There's a clear crystal in there for now. They're very common, but it's rare to see outside of the enclaves...most Jedi know right away what they want, or they just pick and change their minds later…"

"Well I think we can rule out what most Jedi do when it comes to you." He said, placing the hilt back on the dresser. "I didn't even know lightsabers still worked with regular clear crystals."

She chuckled, "The masters say I was indecisive before too."

"It's hard to believe you were an actual Jedi Master before…" Carth began, hoping to learn more about her past without upsetting her. Their last few interactions, and his conversations with Dodonna were still clouding his head with questions.

"You're telling me." She said, sitting back up. "Last time I was with the Jedi, I couldn't feel this...connection to everything. Now...everything is different…I feel like I've been doing it my whole life. I guess I have."

"So you're natural, huh? Hope they don't let your head get too big."

"I've got you to keep me grounded." She smirked. "That is, if you can manage to stay grounded yourself."

Before he could ask her what she meant, he realized he was hovering a few inches off the floor, and floating towards her.

"Woah, hey!" She let him down, and he stumbled forward, suddenly very close to her. "I don't know how I feel about that."

Even as he said that, her eyes were smiling, and he had a feeling she knew exactly how felt about it.

"Here I thought you were dangerous before." He said, sitting beside her. "The Sith won't stand a chance."

"That's the idea, anyway." She said, turning away.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing." She was lying. He was about to push her, when she suddenly turned back to him again. "Where are you sleeping tonight?"

"Probably back on the ship," He answered. "Why?"

She slid behind him, slipping her arms around his torso. "You should stay. Here."

The feeling of her breath on his neck sent a shiver down his spine, but he was familiar with her diversion tactics.

"Aren't there, uh, rules about that kind of thing here?"

"Rules?" She arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah, Jedi rules."

"Since when have I cared about rules?"

"Isn't that why you're here to begin with?"

"Please. I promise I'll behave." She let her arms fall away. "I hate sleeping alone."

It was the please that got him. He knew Eva wasn't the type to show that kind of vulnerability if it could be helped.

"Are you having nightmares again?" He asked, remembering all the nights she spent tossing and turning on Taris.

"Who said I ever stopped." She huffed.

Before he knew it he was slipping off his boots and settling down beside her even as his brain was screaming at him to proceed with caution. He had come here with a purpose and climbing into bed with temptation was not it.

"Alright I'll stay." He said, his face inches from hers. "But, I wanna hear about it."

—

He was watching her, waiting patiently for her to speak as she turned off all the lights before climbing back into the bed. It felt like they were back on Taris, just the two of them against the world. Bastila was her friend, and she loved Mission completely, but there was no one she trusted more than Carth.

"Dantooine wasn't any more exciting now than it was fifteen years ago."

"Maybe so, but it's something you remember. That's supposed to be good, right?"

"They don't even feel like my memories. They feel like someone else's, a stranger's. Whoever she—whoever I was before...I'm not sure I want to remember being her. And if I do...what happens to the person I am now?"

Carth was silent for a moment, and Eva resisted the urge to reach out and feel his thoughts before he began to speak again.

"You know, they say the force can do terrible things to a person's mind….maybe the person you are now is fake, or maybe this is the real you now. I think you'll have to choose that for yourself."

"Do you really think I'll get to choose?" She raised an eyebrow.

"We all have choices to make. Obviously I don't know anything about who you were before, but you get to choose who you are now. You get to choose who you become."

"You almost sound kind of wise there, Captain."

"I keep trying to tell you I'm more than just a pretty face." He pulled and arm around her, while she groaned in embarrassment.

"It's such a random time to remember. I'm 23, arriving on Dantooine for the first time to look at a bunch of ruins. I was obsessed with them. I studied them non stop for a year and I have no idea why."

"Were you one of those archaeologist Jedi's?"

"No. I mean I helped out in the archives and with the apprentices, but I had some sort of aversion to responsibility...at least that's what Zhar thinks. Just like with the crystals, I didn't want to pick a path...didn't want to train a padawan. I just, kept learning. I studied the archives, I questioned all the other masters, I mapped out patterns and anomalies in the reports from other enclaves. They think the reason I came to Dantooine was that I was running away from something, but I don't think that was it."

"What do you think?"

 _"I think I was running towards something. I just can't remember what it was."_


	15. Fourteen

Fourteen

—

 _"Admiral, please. You must stop this!"_

 _Bastila was trembling. She had felt the painful sparks of Revan's force cage even before she had entered the room behind Master Zhar and the other knights. Now that she was here, she could feel Revan's pain twisting inside of her._

 _In her search for answers, Dodonna's methods had grown relentless. Each jolt she sent racing over Revan's skin sent jolts of pain through the young padawan. The Master's had tried to help her overcome the pain through meditation, but it was to no avail—the bond was too strong._

 _"Stay out of this, Jedi." The admiral spat. The hardness in her eyes sent a chill through the already depressed dungeon they stood in._

 _Revan looked as bad as Bastila felt. The older woman sat slumped over behind the force-field. Every few seconds she twitched as though the electricity was still running through her._

 _"Enough of this!" Mast Zhar spoke more forcefully. "Can't you see she doens't remember anything? All you're acomplishing is torturing them both!"_

 _"We need to know where the star forge is!" The admiral insisted. "Tell us where it is, Revan!"_

 _"I don't know what you're talking about." The woman talked slowly as she sturggled to get back onto her feet."_

 _"You LIE!" Without warning, the admiral sent another charge of electricity through the force cage. Both Revan and Bastila screamed in pain._

 _Master Zhar ignited his lightsaber. "This ends now. You will not torture my padawan, and you will no longer hold Revan. She is a prisoner of the Jedi, and we will hold her until the senate reaches a decsion."_

 _The admiral's face looked deranged in the green light of his saber as she watched the Jedi knights disable the force cage and carry Revan's uncounscious body from the room._

—

DANTOOINE— Day 16

—

The nightmares had returned with a vengeance the moment they had set foot on Dantooine Bastila shivered, pulling the covers back around her.

The force bond was a powerful connection, one that influenced her more than she liked. She remembered how relieved she had felt when she first realized that Revan's memories and force abilities had been lost—that the person she was bound to wouldn't be able to manipulate her so smoothly if it came to it. She was even more relieved when she realized just how easy it would have been.

She had had few close friends since her battle meditation had been discovered. At Master Vandars insistence she had been pulled away from the other padawans so that she could learn to focus her power and aid in the war effort. As a result, Eva was now the closet thing she had to true companionship and she feared the loss of it almost as much as she feared the bond.

—

Sleep would not return, and it was close enough to day light that Bastila felt she might as well begin her daily routine. She dressed silently, in the darkness, before sliding the door to her quarters open and heading down to wake Evana for thier morning meditation.

Eva rarely slept alone. Bastila expected Mission would be curled beside the older woman, as she had found them several times since they arrived. What she did not expect to find was Eva entabgled with a scantly clad republic pilot.

" _Oh_!" She had exclaimed when she opened the door and turned the lights on. " _Oh my._ "

Bastila tried averting her eyes, but everywhere she looked there were strewn articles of clothing...

Carth groaned, "Do you always get up at the crack of dawn?"

"Every fucking morning." Eva said, untangling herself from his grasp.

As Eva dressed, Bastila found her voice again. "My apologies...I wan't aware you had a guest."

"It won't happen again. If this is how it is every morning I'm getting my own room." Carth mumbled, his face firmly planted in a pillow.

"We're leaving, don't worry." Evana said, turning off the lights and pushing Bastila out of the room.

—

Bastila's movement were stiff and her face burned bright red and she led Eva to their normal spot for meditation.

"Why are you so rattled?" Eva laughed, settling in her meditation position. "He wasn't naked, you know."

Bastila began stuttering, "That's—! _I cannot believe you!_ You _know_ who he is! He's a _Republic Captain_!"

"What can I say? I'm a sucker for a pretty face. You think so too, else you wouldn't be so flustered."

" _I'm a Jedi_. Such attractions are… well, _they're beneath me!_ "

"Oh, honey. They really do have you sheltered."

"The Masters will not approve." The padawan huffed.

"You didn't know Zhar when he lived on Coruscant..." Eva said, settling in to her meditation.

Though she still felt riled, Bastila also prepared to settle in. , but she was distracted by how at ease her companion looked, meditating in her robes in the courtyard. It was like stepping back in time. The raw power that radiated off the woman was breath-taking. She could easily see why Revan had been named the youngest Jedi Master in over a millenia, and she was as starstruck now as she was fifteen years ago—when she saw the young master for the first time…

—

 _"Is that really her?" Mical asked, trying to see through the hedges in the courtyard. "She looks too young."_

 _"That's why she's the greatest." Bastila huffed. They watched as the older woman found a spot in the low branches of the blba tree before waving Alek away. "She's going to pick one of us to be her padawan."_

 _"She won't pick us." The blond boy cautioned. "We still have to pass the apprentice trials first."_

 _"She could still pick me after that," Bastila pouted._

 _"I want Meetra to train me."_

 _"Don't be a dummy. Meetra's still a padawan."_

 _Mical shrugged, "I still want her to train me though."_

 _"Stop talking I want to hear!" The four-year-old intitates quieted down and peered through the bushes together as Master Zhar stopped to talk to Revan under the blba tree._

 _"You know, Revana," He chuckled. "If you need an assistant you could take on a padawan instead of stealing Alek from his lessons. There are many apprentices here who would jump at the chance. There's a little girl in particular who is very promising."_

 _Revana smirked, "Maybe he'd stop running to work with me if your lessons were a little more stimulating. No offence."_

 _Zhar shook, his head, but he was still smiling, "none taken."_

 _"Besides, I don't have time for a padawan right now. Alek is older, and he serves me well."_

 _"Still the offer stands. With Kavar out investigating reports from the outer rim, we are down a master."_

 _"Oh? He didn't take Meetra?"_

 _"No, she's continuing her training under Master Vrook...why, are you thinking of borrowing her too?"_

 _"I wouldn't dare. No. Squint is enough for now."_

—

" _That wasn't the first time the masters tried to get me to take you on as a padawan._ "

Bastila jerked out of her meditative state, shocked. "You saw that?"

Eva opened her eyes. "Are you surprised? You've seen some of my memories."

"Yes but...I guess I'm still getting used to how quickly you've regained your powers…"

She trailed off, but Eva was still watching her.

"You have something you want to ask me." It wasn't a question.

"You can tell?"

"Well… your face is all scrunched up like a kinrath pup." Eva teased, bringing a small smile to the padawan's face.

"An amusing description...I was thinking of our bond. As your power grows stronger, so does our bond. We share dreams, we can see glimpses into each other's mind, we can feel some of what the other feels..."

"You're worried about me falling again."

"I just want to be clear. If you do, if you even waver towards the darkside...I will feel it."

Eva leaned in and cringed, "If that was a threat, you're doing terribly."

Bastila frowned, "No, it was not a threat…Everything one of us does will have consequences for the other. Any reckless behavior on your part is likely to affect me as well."

"Reckless?" Eva frowned, but Bastila continued.

"As your first friend in this life, please do not make me follow you there."

Eva watched her quietly for a second, considering her words.

"You could warn me when I do something bad. Blink once for dark side, twice for light."

"Oh for force sakes-!"

"I'm kidding!" Eva laughed, playfully punching the padawan's shoulder. "You're too uptight to fall to the darkside."

—

"Good morning Captain Onasi," Dorak looked up from his work space as Carth entered the large archival space. "I hope you have been enjoying your time here at our enclave?"

"Yes, thank you Master Dorak…" Carth replied while taking in the sheer magnitude of volumes and files that's adorned the shelves.

"Is there something I can help you find?" Dorak continued. "It's not often we get visitors to the archives that are not Jedi."

"Ahhhh…" Carth raised his arm behind his head, rubbing his neck nervously. "I'm not sure you'd actually help me if I told you."

Dorak chuckled in understanding. "I see. May I assume you are looking for answers into Evana's past life? Bastila mentioned you had many questions about her."

"Bastila is, uh, not wrong."

"I must admit, I find it strange that the Admiral gave you this assignment without informing you of the situation...but it is not my place to question her or the Council. Still, I think it's unwise to leave you in the dark. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, or so they say...I will answer what I can for you, Captain."

The Jedi led his guest to one of the many research tables already littered with old tomes and datapads. As they sat across from one another, Dorak cleared his throat.

"What do you want to know?"

Carth took a breath. "I want to know what this mission is about and I want to know how and why Eva is involved."

"You did not come to the archives to learn about the present." Dorak shook his head. "You came here because you want know more about the past."

"Fair enough." Carth crossed his arms, leaning further into his chair. "Last night Eva said something to me."

Dorak waited.

"She said Master Zhar thought she came to Dantooine, before, because she was running away from something. But she thinks she was running toward something instead."

"Interesting…" Master Dorak mused while rummaging through the piles of files before him before pulling out one of the older datapads. He pulled up a picture and placed the datapad on the table facing Carth.

"Unlike Master Zhar and Master Vrook, and even Master Vandar who knew Evana from her life on Coruscant, I only knew her during her year here on Dantooine."

Carth examined the photo. In it a row of children stood dressed in apprentice robes. Behind them stood slightly older children—padawans—and behind them, their masters. Master Dorak stood to the left, beside him a young familiar looking boy. On the right stood Master Vrook, smiling with his padawan; and beside her stood Master Zhar and his—

"Malak." Carth practically growled. Even fifteen years younger, the Sith lord was unmistakable.

"Yes," Dorak frowned sadly, "but that is not why I am showing you this picture. Look closer."

Carth did, and then he realized why the boy standing next to Master Dorak looked so familiar.

"Eva." The short messy hair and dirt stained robes had thrown him off. She didn't look like a Jedi master at all. He would have thought she was one of the padawans.

"And Bastila." Dorak pointed out one of the little girls standing in the front row.

"And Revan? Carth asked, unable to take his eyes off the smiling boy who already towered over the others.

"Revan...did not train on Dantooine." Dorak said carefully.

Carth nodded. "Alright. Tell me about Eva."

Dorak took back the datapad. "Master Zhar's theory that she was running from responsibility is not unfounded. At twenty-three, Evana was one of our youngest Masters. Her own master had pushed her into taking the trials early, somthing usually frowned upon; but in Master Kae's defense, Evana was unusally talented. It was the opinion of the council that she should join thier ranks as the Lore Keeper— a position much like my own, but on a much grander scale. The archives on Coruscant were like a second home to her, she knew more about the information kept there than any other and she was constantly searching for more to learn about...it was an obvious choice. But to everyone's shock she turned the council down and came to Dantooine to study ruins instead."

Carth frowned. "Why would she do that?"

Dorak gave a dull smile. "We cannot know for sure, but if what she said is true it may be that she was called here by somthing. Perhaps that same thing that called her away from us right after. We did not realize at the time, but what Evana found here was far more important than we could have known. She left to follow the clues...and in the same year, Malak left to join Revan and the war against the Mandalorians."

"Eva fought in the war too." Carth stated. "What happened to her after that?"

Dorak sighed, pushing the datapad with the picture forward again. "Many Jedi left the order to fight with Revan and Malak. Most of them were padawans, and only one returned to us when the fight was over. He pointed out the young girl standing next to Vrook in the photo. She returned as a shell, so horrified by her actions under Revan she had severed her own connection to the force. The rest followed Revan and Malak into the unknown regions of space and returned as Sith."

—

Carth entered the dining hall, please to see that lunch was still being served. Like most days Mission and Zaalbar were seated, taking advantage of the buffet. He entered the line, filling his tray with the native cusine of Dantooine and as he exited he spotted Canderous in line behind him. The men nodded to eachother, before Carth grabed himself a seat next to Mission.

"Hey!" Mission greeted him. "You missed breakfast, you know?"

Zaalbar also growled a greeting.

"He says we're already on thirds."

"Save some for the rest of us, will you?" He joked, patting the Wookiee on the arm.

Eva and Bastila entered together from the opposite side of the room, whispering about somthing until the Padawan caught Carth's eye and stiffened, red faced and stuttering.

"What's wrong with Bastila?" Mission asked as the Jedi came near.

"Oh, that." Eva shrugged, and turned to Carth. "She's been scandalized by our act of bed sharing."

"So? That's normal." Mission rolled her eyes and turned back to her food.

Bastila was taken back, "You were aware of their…relationship?"

"Yeah, they're practically married."

Zaalbar barked a laugh.

"And you knew too?" Bastila turned to the Wookiee, who merely growled, nodding his head.

"How was I only the one who didn't know. I should have sensed-"

"To be fair," Carth interrupted. "We're not together."

"Not yet." Mission muttered as she took a sip of juice from her cup.

Canderous joined the table, and Bastila turned on him. "Canderous, were you aware Carth and Eva-"

"What? That they're shacking up together? Was that supposed to be a secret?"

Now Carth's face was turning pink, and Bastila was pouting.

"Alright, enough of that." Eva pulled Bastila toward the food, her eyes hard. "Like Carth said, we're not together."

—

The table was noticeably quieter when they returned, and it remained that way until Canderous began to speak.

"So, will the Jedi let you roam free again today?"

"Eva and I have work to do." Bastila stated, before taking a bite of her meal.

"What kind of work?" Mission asked.

"Bastila and I shared a dream a few weeks ago, about some ruins nearby. We're going to investigate them today." Eva explained further.

"You shared a dream? Is that like, a Jedi thing?" Mission asked.

"Short answer, yes." Bastila replied.

"How about a long answer." Carth asked.

"Long answer...during the acident that caused my memory loss, Bastila saved my life and now we have a force bond—sometimes it causes us to share dreams, memories, and emotions as a result.

"How incovienent." Canderous muttered.

"Enough about that." Bastila scowled. "Yesterday the council asked me to look into the Sandral-Matale fued, so we should take some time to look into that as well."

"And I promised to look into the Mandalorian raiders—"

"Don't worry about that." Canderous interrupted, "I took care of it already."

"By yourself?" Eva asked.

He nodded.

"I'm a little disapointed you didn't wait for me." She chided.

"Apologies, shall I lend you a hand while you deal with you feud?"

"Me too! Can I come?" Mission asked.

"I don't see why not." Eva shrugged. "Anyone else? Zaalbar? Carth?"

Zaalbar declined, explaining that he was due for a nap, but Carth shrugged.

"Sure, why not? Tell us more about this fued, Bastila."

"Nurik Sandral and Alahn Matale have both accused the other of kidnapping. They each have a son, and both have gone missing. Ahlan is threating to take matters into his own hands if his son isn't found soon."

"Casus is missing? We should take care of that first, then." Eva said.

As she spoke, Carth watched her with Master Dorak's final words to him still ringing through his head.

" _Whatever secret power Evana discovered became Revan's, and now Malak's. With Revan's death, Evana may be the only person in the galaxy who knows how to stop the Sith."_

—

 _Listen carefully, Revan." Dodonna sneered. "The only reason you are still alive is because somewhere in that broken head of yours are the answers we need to stop Malak once and for all."_

 _"I don't know anything about him—"_

 _"Yes, you're a blank slate. No memories, no force, no friends...but plenty of enemies. Tell me, what do you think the people of Coruscant will do if they learn the truth? Do you think they will care that you can't remember terrorizing them? Bombing them? Killing thier loved ones?"_

 _"What do you want from me?"_

 _"The only thing I want from you is your head on a pike." The admiral grumbled, "but the Jedi think you can be redemmed. I don't care if you can. When this war is over there is only one outcome for you. The only difference is how slow I get to make it."_

 _"Don't make threats you can't keep, Admiral. I've been promised exile—"_

 _Her sentence was interrupted with a cold slap to the face._

 _"Make no mistake. Darth Revan was untouchable." Dodonna sneered. "But you are not."_


	16. Fifteen

Fifteen.

—

Fifteen.

—

 _"_ _She'll never learn to fight if you don't throw her into the battle."_ Canderous called, disapprovingly.

The fields between the enclave and the settlements were riddled with kinrath and while the entire party was more than ready to head them off, Carth couldn't help but keep a protective stance in front of the young Twi'lek.

"You can't seriously be suggesting that I let Mission just run wild into the middle of a firefight with _giant venomous insects_ , are you?" Carth defended while Mission pouted behind him.

"You could at least let me get a shot in." She huffed, quietly.

"Canderous is right, Carth. You can't keep coddling her. It's not like these are Rakghouls."

"You did _not_ just side with the Mandalorian. She's a child, she doesn't have any formal training!"

"Do you think I had any formal training when I was her age? No, but I still knew how to defend myself. The galaxy is in the middle of a war." Eva countered. "Hell, the last war was _fought_ and _won_ by people her age."

"When I was her age, I had already killed countless of my enemies." Canderous boasted in the background.

"How am I the only sane one here." Carth groaned. "When I was her age, I was in school learning how to _fly a shuttle_ not how to _kill_ —"

"You do remarkably well for someone with such a disadvantaged start." Canderous commended. Carth glared, unsure if he was being mocked or not.

"She'll learn." Eva decided. "I'm going to teach her."

"Hey, look at that, over there." Mission said, pointing to the edge of the Matale property. Bastila had gone ahead to speak to Ahlan Matale, tired of the constant bickering between the two men of their party—but the rest of them were still on the outskirts of the property. They followed Mission's gaze where three Kath hounds were tearing at something in the grass.

"It's nothing." Canderous shrugged. "Probably just fighting over an unlucky kinrath. Or a brith."

Eva had an uneasy feeling in her chest. She marched forward, waving around her lightsaber to shoo away the hounds before dropping to her knees by the corpse she found there.

"Eva?" Carth called, both he and Canderous ran to meet her. "What's wrong?"

—

 _"_ _Master Jedi! Master Naberrie! You came!"_

 _"_ _Come on Casus, let's see if we can translate the symbols on the rocks you found…"_

—

" _Casus_ …" Eva held back a sob. He had aged. The eight year old little boy she had known had grown up, but not nearly old enough. His body was mangled, torn away at and decomposing, but still recognizable. Even if it had not been, the datapad in his sack confirmed it.

"What is it? What have you found?" Bastila asked, running over to them. She had been speaking to Ahlan Matale, but they had both come running when they saw Eva collapse on the ground.

She stood to meet them. "This is the body of Casus Sandral. It's been ravaged by Kath hounds. He must have been attacked by them while he was exploring the ruins described on this datapad."

Bastila also looked upset. "You should inform his family. I will take the body back to the enclave. Mr. Matale, I suggest you return to your home and await word from the council."

With the force, she lifted the corpse and carried it away; but Ahlan Matale did not move.

"The Sandral boy may have been attacked by the hounds, but my son Shen is still missing and I know for a fact that the Sandals are involved!"

Eva slipped the datapad into her pocket before turning on the old man, "A dead body was just found on the outskirts of your property. You would be wise to remain quiet and return to your home. Now."

Ahlan Matale grumbled, but obeyed.

—

"This is private property. By what authority are you trespassing on this estate?" The moment they approached the Sandral settlement, they were stopped by a guard droid.

"I come on behalf of the Jedi Council." Eva announced, standing her ground against the barrel of the droids gun.

"If you are here because of Shen Matale's disappearance you are wasting your time. The Sandrals are not involved." The droid lowered it's weapon and tried turning away.

"Casus Sandral is dead." Eva announced, stepping in its path. The droid paused before responding.

"Wait here."

They waited outside, as the droid went to fetch its master. He returned after only a moment, Nurik Sandral behind him.

"I have been informed by my protocol droid that you have news about my son Casus."

"We found his body, he was attacked and killed by Kath hounds." Carth explained to the man. "He's been taken to the enclave, I'm sure you can pick him up there."

"My son…" Nurik's eyes swelled. "Is that all you have come to tell me?"

"No," Eva continued. "I am here on behalf of the Jedi Council. I am investigating the disappearance of Shen Matale."

Nurik's grieved expression turned to one of rage. "I brought my family here to find peace and safety - not to be harassed and treated like common criminals! Your Council has no authority here, and I respectfully ask you to leave this property _at once_!"

He spun around, leaving them locked out of his estate.

"That sure wasn't suspicious or anything." Carth said.

"Want me to hack the doors?" Mission asked.

"Maybe." Eva said, but at that moment Canderous tapped her shoulder, and gestured to where a young woman was hiding behind the building.

" _Psst_!" She called. " _Over here!_ "

The quad walked over, and the young woman pulled them all inside.

"Forgive me, Master Jedi...I do not recall your name, but you were the Jedi who came before, yes? You let Casus assist you in the ruins... Is it true he's dead?"

"Yes. I'm sorry. It was an animal attack."

The girl made an intake of breath, and let out a sob. "Oh Casus...my heart weeps for my brother...yet I am also relieved that the Matales are not responsible."

Carth took a step forward to console the girl. "The Matale boy is also missing. Do you know anything about his disappearance?"

She nodded, still sobbing. "My father has gone mad. He hasn't been himself since Casus disappeared. I'm afraid he's done something unexplainable."

They waited for her to continue.

"He's kidnapped Shen Matale. He is holding him prisoner here in the compound!"

Eva stood straight. "Take us to him, now."

—

The girl — _Rahasia_ — led them through the quiet hallways of her family's estate until they reached a locked room.

"He's in there. Only my father has a key, otherwise I would have freed him myself—" Rahasia explained, only to be interrupted by Mission's quick work.

"Got it!" Mission beamed, taking a step back as the doors slid open.

"Wha...who are you? What do you want with me?" The boy on the other side of the doors asked. "Rahasia? What are you doing here?"

"We've come to rescue you." Rahasia replied, launching herself into Shen's arms.

"Rescue me? No...I won't leave. You'll be punished if you father finds out I've escaped. I cannot allow that."

"Oh for Force sakes!" Eva groaned, "What is this, a space opera?"

Eva pulled the boy out and shoved into Canderous' arms. "Take the boy. Rahasia, you're coming too."

Together they dragged the young couple back out into the courtyard...only to run into Ahlan Matale and a small army of guard droids.

"There you are Shen!" Ahlan exclaimed. "I knew this was all your doing! I knew you had captured my son!"

Nurik and his own hoard of droids appeared and marched forward to meet them. "You had taken my Casus from me long before that! You started it!"

"I don't want to hear any of your excuses! Now I will get revenge for your transgressions!"

"Hold on a second." Eva interrupted, standing between the two men and their children.

"Everybody just needs to calm down."

"Please listen to her, father!" Shen pleaded.

"Why should I listen to the Jedi? All you want is to remain with that Sandral harlot!"

"My daughter is not a harlot, Matale dog!"

"You could try listening to your children instead of throwing insults." Carth suggested.

"Our children don't know enough of what's good for them to make a reasonable decision!" Ahlan exclaimed.

"It's better to let older, wiser heads like our make the decisions." Nurik agreed.

" _Yeesh_." Mission rolled her eyes.

"Rahasia and I don't want you to make decisions for us!" Shen said, holding Rahasia close. "We want to live alone, away from you!"

"You insolent boy! If you want to live alone then so be it! I disown you! Never set foot in my house again."

"Great, that's settled then." Eva said, already preparing to return to the enclave; but the adults were still staring daggers at each other.

"Now hold on a minute," Carth said stepping forward. "If you love your children, surely this feud isn't worth disowning them over. They love each other—and they're both old enough to make their own decisions. You need to get over what ever imagined wrong started the whole thing, and let your children choose their own paths."

A moment of silence passed after Carth spoke. The two father's seemed to be taking the pilot's words to heart, but Eva was no longer paying attention to them. She was busy trying to decipher the new emotion the captain was exuding.

Nurik was the first to concede. "I…I don't know why we fight like this. We got along in the beginning, didn't we, Ahlan?"

"I don't know how you can think of that when we have our children trying to run away together."

"Well, it wouldn't be so bad would it?"

"I suppose not…"

The two fathers and their children adjourned into the Sandral home to reacquaint themselves, leaving Carth feeling quite pleased with himself. Eva was less pleased.

"I guess that's one way to fix a fued." She muttered.

"You don't approve?"

"It's not that...it's just, the Matales and the Sandrals have been feuding for decades...and Shen and Rahasia are both young. It's not exactly the smoothest start for a life together."

"Love find a way." He shrugged, watching the guard droids retreat to their respective estates.

"Oh Captain." She sighed, patting him on the shoulder, "Of course you would be a romantic."  
—

Bastila met them as they were leaving the Sandral grounds."I heard reports that Ahlan Matale marched over here with battle droids, what happened?"

"Apparently I played matchmaker," Carth explained. "They're planning a wedding now."

Bastil was confused, "…so, there was no bloodshed?"

"None." Canderous sighed.

"And Shen was found?"

"And he's getting married to Nurik's Daughter." Mission added. "It all worked out."

"Well." Bastila was surprised, but tried to recover, "That's one way to handle it, I suppose...Are you alright, Evana? I know Casus was important to you…"

"I never should have involved him. He wanted to be an archaeologist...I should have told him to leave the ruins alone…"

She pulled out the datapad, skimming the young man's notes for anything that would clue her into what he was researching before his death.

"Animal attacks are not rare here," Bastila consoled. "This death should not be on your conscious."

"But it is." Eva sighed, but she paused in her readings as she came across an interesting page. "Hold on. This says there's a crystal cave nearby."

"Crystals? Here?" Bastila asked. "There were always rumors but...where exactly does it say the cave is?"

"It's firmly on Sandral property…" Eva lead the way, following the journal's instructions until they found the cave, almost entirely hidden by a grouping of trees and rocks.

—

"Wow…" Mission gasped as Eva's clear lightsaber ignited, showering the inside of the cave with a rainbow of light from the reflected crystals around them. "It's beautiful in here."

"Looks like this is where Kinrath make their nests." Canderous made a face as he pulled his boot out of the goop of a pod of kinrath eggs.

An array of colors—blue, yellow, green—protruded from the stone walls, and seemed to cradle the fragile eggs.

"There are so many crystals here." Bastila said, bending down to pick up the shards of one that had already been knocked. "We should only take what we need."

The journal entry about the cave was old. It must have been, because in it Casus still referred to her fondly.

 _"_ _Master Nabarrie will be pleased. When she comes back I'm going to hand her this journal so she can see all the things I've discovered about the ruins in her absence...but first, something exciting. For years there have been rumors of a time when Jedi were drawn to Dantooine for its supply of crystals. Those years are long past, or at least that's what everyone thinks. On my father's own property there lies a hidden cavern full to the brim with crystals! I dare not tell anyone, not even father or Rahasia—I doubt the cavern would remain as intact if word got out. Revan will know what to do. She always does..._

 _When the war is over I'm going to show her the best part! Without her lessons I would have never recognized them, but sure enough...there is a small cluster in the back that I believe may very well be purple—an incredibly rare find!"_

"He would have made an excellen archeologist..."

She found exactly what she was looking for. In the deepest crevice sat the small cluster of deep purple crystals. They were dark, and to the untrained eye they could easily be overlooked. She reached up to pry the loosest shard out of the cluster.

"What did you find?" Bastila asked, as Eva started fiddling with her lightsaber. She yanked the clear crystal out, and shoved in the new purple one, then ignited it, enveloping the cave in a soft purple glow.

"Purple?" Carth asked, smirking.

"What on earth are purple crystals doing in here?" Bastila wondered aloud.

"It's a mystery." Eva replied, smiling.

—  
The sun was setting as they exited the cave; but they weren't alone. Canderous laughed, darkly. Waiting for them was a young group of Mandalorian raiders, led by a man in red beskar.

"So, this is the clan-traitor." The red man said. "You have cause us far too much trouble for such an old man."

"I thought you said you took care of this, Canderous." Carth muttered, taking out his blaster and taking a protective stance in front of Mission.

"The only clan-traitors here are those who would go against our code of honor—thievery and murder in times of peace! Have your elders taught you nothing?" Canderous called.

"Elders? What elders remain after the Jedi butchered us. Do you side with them, instead of your own people, your own clan?" The Mandalorians sneered at Eva and Bastila who had already ignited their lightsabers. "No matter, I will add their heads to those of the other Jedi I have killed."

"You can try." Eva taunted, preparing to jump, but Canderous beat her in making the first move, blasting his rifle at the leader of the raiders.

Eva and Bastila were not far behind, springing into action to deflect blaster bolts and strike down the flanking opponents. As formidible as the raiders appeared, the truth was that they were young and inexperienced—no match for a true Mandalorian warrior, two Jedi and a Republic captain. They fell quickly, and finally in a matter of minutes.

Canderous lowered his rifle, and began to walk among the corpses. Carth fussed over Misson, while Bastila fussed over herself; but Eva followed the old man. Silently, she stood beside him in a gesture of comradery. After a moment he spoke.

"Without the clans to guide them, the youth no longer remember how to act with honor. It's as I feared."

He bent down to pull at the armor of thier assailants. Beneath the beskar, youthful faces stared blankly back at them.

"We should have a kote kyr'am." Eva said. Canderous only laughed, bitterly.

"There's not enough wood on this planet for a funeral pyre."

Overhearing, Bastila stepped forward with her comm. "I'll have someone from the enclave collect the bodies. We can have them cremated."

Canderous nodded, "that will have to do."

He marched forward, not looking back to see if the rest of the party followed.

Carth and Mission caught up to the Jedi, still standing among the dead bodies.

"Is he alright?" Mission asked, watching the Mandalorian's back.

Eva watched him as well. "He mourns for his people. What they've been reduced to…"

"At least there won't be any more raids. The Villagers can live in peace." Carth mentioned.

"The villages here, perhaps…" Eva said, "but all across the galaxy there are generations of Mandalorians with no Clans to guide them. The Republic never should have outlawed them."

"You think this is the Republic"s fault?" Carth was incredulous.

"They're at least partly to blame. When the Mandalorians surrendered, the Republic demanded the expulsion of the Clans—"

"Yeah, so they couldn't rise up and attack us again."

"They had already lost." Eva insisted. "Their numbers had been decimated. The Republic stripped away their culture to humiliate them. The clans were the basis for their way of life, their support systems, their families, their code of ethics—now they are lost, their own heritage forbidden to them, and you wonder why so many of them resort to this?"

"I guess you're the expert." Carth muttered, not wanting to argue.

—

They never caught up to Canderous, and by the time the reached the ruins it was fully dark outside.

"This is it," Eva sighed. The pull of the place was strong, stronger than she remembered.

Bastila moved towards the entrance of the tunnel, but hesitated.

"Carth," she spoke. "You should take Misson back to the enclave."

"But I want to stay!" Mission protested, as Carth opened his mouth to make his own objections.

"You want to go in there with no back up?"

Eva hesitated before adding her opinion. "Bastila is right, you both should leave."

Carth wanted to argue, but he didn't want Mission going down that tunnel either, so he conceded.

"Fine." He sighed. "Come on Mission, I'm sure Zaalbar is waiting for you anyway. You don't want to miss out on dinner, right?"

"You guys are no fun," Mission pouted but obeyed.

He led her away, taking a moment to look back just in time to see Eva and Bastila decend into the tunnel hand-in-hand.

—

Like in her dreams, Eva crawled through the tunnel, feeling her way trhough the dirt until she could step out into a cavern. Unlike her dreams, Bastila was right beside her, and as they reached the archway together they found doors already open as though waiting just for them.

"What is that smell?" Bastila wrinkled her nose.

Eva didn't answer. Silently she ignited her lightsaber, surrounding them in purple light as they descended down into the temple ruins.

"It's getting worse." Bastila complained, and when they reached the bottom it became clear what the smell was.

"That must be the Jedi the council sent before." Eva muttered, covering her mouth and nose.

"Poor Master Nemo…" Bastila said, doing the same. The stillness of the ruins was interupted by a rapid mechanical scrittering behind them.

 _"_ _A templom elpusztitja azokat akik meltatlanok."_

Both women swung around, lightsabers ignited to face the voice in the dark. An ancient spidery machine tapped forward.

"Did you kill this man?" Eva demanded of the machine.

 _"_ _A templom elpusztitja azokat akik meltatlanok."_

"What's it's saying? I can't understand it."

" _The temple destroys whose who are unworthy…"_ Eva translated. "It's speaking ancient Selkath."

"Of course you speak ancient Selkath." Bastila muttered. "Why would a droid on Dantooine be programmed to speak ancient Selkath?"

 _"_ _Beszelni tudok az Epitok rabszolgai altal beszelt nyelvekrol…"_

"The droid was programed to speak the same language as the slaves who constructed this temple according to the wishes of the Builders." Eva explained as the droid continued speaking. " _This temple was a monument to the power of the Star Forge—"_

"Revan and Malak's secret weapon!" Bastila exclaimed. "So, we're on the right path. What can you tell us of the Star Forge, droid."

Eva continued to translate the droid as Bastila questioned it.

" _The Star Forge is the glory of the Builders, the apex of their infinite empire. It is a machine of invincible might, a tool of unstoppable conquest."_

"Who are the Builders? The Sith?"

" _The Builders are the great masters of the galaxy, the conquerors of all worlds, the rulers of the infinite empire and the creators of the Star Forge_ —an ancient civilization, perhaps?" Eva wondered aloud.

"I know of no species that would fit with this information," Bastila mused. "Something must have happened to wipe the Builders out."

" _The empire of the builders is infinite and everlasting. None can stand against their might and the power of the Star Forge._ "

"Yes, but have you seen a builder recently?"

" _This unit has been here since the completion of this monument. In all that time no Builder has returned to seek information on the Star Forge."_

"How long has that been?"

" _The chronological circuits of this unit have marked over ten full revolutions of this system's outermost planet around the sun since the Builders left."_

"Ten revolutions...that would take more than 20,000 years!" Bastila gasped. "If this is true then this droid is nearly 5,000 years older than the Republic itself! There must be some mistake."

" _There is no mistake. The Builders constructed this unit's chronological circuitry using the technology of the Star Forge itself. The calculations are infallible."  
_  
"Let's ask it what we really want to know...How do we find the Star Forge?" Eva asked.

"Azok, akik előtte jöttek - olyanok, mint te, nem építők, de nem rabszolgák - a Star Forge tudását és eredetét keresték. Méltónak bizonyultak. Felfedezték a Star Forge titkait, amelyek a zárt ajtó mögött voltak. De azok, akik nem tudják feloldani a titkokat, meg kell fizetniük a végső árat."

"What did it say?" Bastila demanded.

" _We must prove our worth...those who fail to unlock the secrets must pay the ultimate price_."  
—

Carth was getting worried. They had been gone for too long.

After he had escorted Mission to the dinng hall and left her with Zaalbar and Canderous, he had come back. He was standing, alone in the courtyard outside the Enclave waiting for Bastila and Eva to return.

Just as he was about to march after them, he saw the two women walking briskly in the dark. The were talking in harsh whispers, and when they saw him, they stopped.

"Carth?" Eva asked. She reached for him, but Bastila pulled her away.

" _There's no time_. We must inform the council of what we discovered at once."

Carth watched them go inside, he concern only growing greater.

—

" _The Star Forge."_ Master Vrook scoured. "This is what we have been waiting for, and the map was right here all along. We should have known."

"We had no idea the ruins had any significance." Dorak protested. "There was nothing in the records of such a civilization..."

"The mission stays the same. Find the star maps, find the star forge, and destroy it." Master Vandar commanded. "Evana, your memories will play an important role in acquiring the rest of the star maps. You will continue to accompany Bastila on this mission."

Eva nodded while Bastila looked relieved.

Zhar stepped forward. "You are both already aware of the importance of this mission, and of the lengths we went to with Admiral Dodonna to keep certain details of it a secret. You have been collecting a varied group of followers, Evana. I would remind you that it would be wise to keep those secrets."

"Aside from you and Bastila, one more in your party will know the truth. Juhani has asked to accompany you. We've decided to allow this. Having another member of this order in your party should help you both resist the temptations of the dark side." Master Vandar added.

"You should leave as soon as possible; The longer you wait the stronger Malak becomes." Master Vrook finished. "The lure of the dark side is difficult to resist. I can only hope this quest to find the Star Forge does not lead you down an all too familiar path."

—  
The crew of the Ebon Hawk sat in the dining hall. The dinner hour had long past, but still they waited. Eventually Bastila and Evana entered.

"So?" Carth asked, arms crossed. "What did you find?"

"A map-" Eva began, but Bastila cut her off.

"That's none of your concern, Carth." Bastila said. "Pack your bags. We leave within the hour."

The crew looked to Eva, expectantly, and she nodded. "Let's not waste time. We can talk when we're onboard."

Everyone scrambled to their feet, heading to their rooms to retrieve their items. Eva headed straight for the Ebon Hawk. All her possessions were either on her body, or already on the ship and she wanted to oversee the restocking of their supplies—the council had promised to provide them with supplies and credits before they departed and she wanted to make sure everything was accounted for.

Carth found her there, taking inventory, but remained silent as he watched her.

"You're upset" She murmured, just loud enough for him to hear. She continued her work as she waited for his response. There were a lot of negative emotions coming off him.

 _Anger. Annoyance. Impatience._

"I suppose I am." He said, finally. "I guess I just don't like being left out of the loop."  
"You were born out of the loop." She teased.  
"Very cute." He said, rolling his eyes. "I'm tired of being lied to…being strung along. It's really starting to irritate me."  
"No one is stringing you along—"  
"This is none of your concern, Carth, and you would do well to leave the matter alone." Bastila said, coming onto the ship.

"How does this not concern me? I'm running around with a padawan and an amnesiastic _Sith_ saddled with the responsibility of stopping Darth Malak. _I'm concerned._ "

Eva and Bastila stood frozen.

"Sith? Why would you say Sith?" Bastila asked as Eva starred horrified.

"It's the only thing that makes sense. She was a Jedi, she fought in the war. Master Dorak told me only one Jedi refused to follow Revan and Malak in the end, and it wasn't Eva."

"Thats—you can't—there's a—" Bastila struggled with an explanation until Eva placed a hand on the girls shoulder.

"Bastila, enough. He knows." She sighed, turning to the pilot. "Are you satisfied yet? Are all your worst suspicions confirmed? Are you going to arrest me?"

"He can't arrest you, we have a mission." Bastila huffed, walking away. "If he can't handle it he can stay behind."

"The hell I am." Carth countered, but then his voice softened. "Look, I'm not naive, alright? If I can work with a Mandalorian I can work with a Sith….I just...I'm still struggling to make the connection. Clearly you're not Sith now...but I have no idea what kind of person you were before. How does someone go from this to...to _Sith_?"  
"Carth—"  
"I'm just trying to understand it. What are the clues? How do I tell where Eva ends and that other person begins?"  
"You could start by trusting me."  
"I'm not waiting around to be betrayed again."

"Why do you think I'm going to betray you? If that's the case, why are you even here? What exactly is it that you want?"

"It's not about what I want. I have a duty and I intend to see it through. The Galaxy's in danger and I want to save it...that's what I want."

Eva's voice softened as she reached for the pilot's arm. "I can't choose my past. But I can choose my future. _You_ told me that."  
"Yeah well, we'll see about that won't we." He muttered, but instantly regretted it when he saw the hurt on her face. "Shit, I didn't mean it that way, just— It seems all I can do is insult you. Let's just get on with what were doing." He walked away, heading to the cockpit to get the Ebon Hawk ready for departure.  
—

Juhani was the last to join the crew on the ship. After dismissing them, Master Vandar had sent his own padawan to rouse her as it was still the middle of the night.

"Welcome, Juhani." Eva greeted the Cathar girl as she boarded. The ragged robes she had worn in the grove were now replaced with deep red ones that accented her fur.

"Master." The girl bowed deeply.

"There's not need to call me that, Juhani." Eva said, closing the ramp. "Do you know why you're here?"

Juhani nodded. "Belaya informed me of the council's mission for you and Bastila. I will do my best to be anchor of light for you, Master."

"Don't-" Eva sighed. "Thank you, Juhani."  
"Thank you, for allowing me to assist you on this important mission." Juhani said. She hesitated before continuing. "I feel I must apologize for the way I acted towards you before, in the grove."  
"We can leave than in the past—"  
"Please, allow me this. " Juhani begged, "I am sorry for attacking you. I am sorry for thinking you would only try to kill me. I hope that by helping you in your task I may redeem myself in you eyes…and in my own."

—  
Eva led Juhani to the center of the ship, where everyone else was waiting.

"Some of you are probably curious about this mission and our role in it—" Eva began, but Bastila cut her off.

"Evana, don't. Remember what the Master's said—"

"Carth is right. Everyone on this ship is involved and deserves to know the truth."

Carth's head snapped up.

"Some of you already know, some of you have worked it out. This mission is more than it appears. I...am more than I appear."

"Fine. We'll tell them." Bastila sighed. "Evana was one of the Jedi who left the order to follow Revan and Malak after the war. She has intimate knowledge of their secret weapon and with her help we are going to track it down and destroy it. Any questions?"

Mission raised her hand. "What's the secret weapon?"

"It's called the Star Forge." Eva answered. "Before I was...Sith, I discovered the maps that led me to a weapon from an ancient society. After the war...the weapon became Revan's, and now Malak's. I can't remember where it is or what it does, exactly—"

"But we're hoping as Eva regains memories that information will be regained as well." Bastila finished. "Whatever the Star Forge is, whatever it does...the Sith were using it to strengthen their army. Without it, we might actually stand a chance."

—

Carth, Bastila, and Eva walked to the cockpit.  
"Alright ladies, where's the first stop?"  
"Korriban is closest," Bastila began, "although I'm not sure how we'll fair on a sith world."  
"Korriban is practically a suicide mission." Carth advised.

"So then, we'll save it for last." Eva agreed.  
"Alright then, where do you suggest we start?" Bastila asked.

Eva thought hard for a moment, looking over the navigation screen, tracing routes in her mind.

"Kashyyyk." She said, finally.

She walked away to get herself strapped in, knowing that they would obey. Carth punched in the coordinates, and after a few minutes they were once again in space.

—

 _"_ _You're not going back?"_

 _"_ _To Coruscant? After what we discovered?" Revan stood at the bottom of her ship's ramp._

 _"_ _That archway was sealed a long time ago...if what that droid said was true...those maps could lead to something dark—"_

 _"_ _And powerful." The Jedi master smirked._

 _"_ _If you leave like this...they might not let you return to the order. You were almost on the council. Is the Star Forge really worth the risk?_

 _"_ _Nothing worth having is without risk. I don't know what secrets these maps will lead me to...but I've been hearing this voice calling me from the edge of the galaxy. Nothing is going to stop me from finding it."_

 _Alek laughed, bitterly. "I can't believe you're going to just leave like this."_

 _"_ _The order has nothing left to offer me."_

 _"_ _What about me?"_

 _"_ _Go back to your master, Squint."_

 _"_ _I didn't join the order so Master Zhar could hold me back with initiates. I joined to be strong, like you. If you're done with the order, then so am I."_

 _"_ _You're still a padawan, there's so much you still have to learn—"_

 _"_ _Then teach me! Let me be your padawan. Let me come with you."_

 _Revan starred at the boy, before nodding._

 _"_ _Don't regret it, Alek. Where I'm going...there is no coming back."_


End file.
